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THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 


WILLIAM    BROOKS   CI-OSE 


THE   BRITISH   IN  IOWA 


BY 

JACOB   VAN   DER   ZEE 


PUBLISHED  AT  IOWA  CITY  IOWA  IN  1922  BY 
THE  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  OF  IOWA 


COPYRIGHT  1922  BY  THE  STATE 
HISTORICAL   SOCIETY   OP   IOWA 


THX    ATHXKS    FBESS 
IOWA   CITY  IOWA 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION 

The  story  of  the  British  in  Iowa  as  told  by  Mr. 
Van  der  Zee  in  this  volume  consists  of  two  essays : 
one  tells  of  the  British  Emigrants  to  Iowa;  the 
other  relates  the  history  of  the  British  Invasion 
of  Northwestern  Iowa.  The  first  essay  is  a  gen- 
eral survey  of  the  English,  Scotch,  Irish,  and 
Welsh  elements  in  the  population  of  Iowa;  while 
the  second  essay  is  a  more  detailed  study  of  the 
English  Colony  in  the  vicinity  of  Le  Mars. 

Benj.  F.  Shambaugh 

Office  of  the  Superintendent  and  Editor 

The  State  Historical  Society  of  Iowa 

Iowa  Cmr  Iowa 


CONTENTS 

Editor's  Introduction 3 

Author's  Preface 7 

PART  I 
BRITISH  EMIGRANTS  IN  IOWA 

I.     Pointing  the  Way  to  Iowa 17 

II.    State  Encouragement  of  Immigration    32 
III.    British  Elements  in  the  Population 

OF  Iowa 42 

PART  II 

BRITISH  INVASION  OF  NORTHWESTERN 
IOWA 

I.  The  Close  Brothers    .......  57 

II.  Farming  the  Virgin  Land,  1878-1879    .  63 

III.  The  Closes  Extend  Their  Holdings    .  68 

IV.  Headquarters  at  Le  Mars 72 

V.  A  Pamphlet  on  Farming  in  Iowa    .    .  77 

VI.  Iowa  Made  Attractive  to  Englishmen    87 

VII.  English  Settlers  Welcomed  at  Le  Mars    94 

VIII.  Formation  of  the  Iowa  Land  Company    99 

IX.  Prohibition  and  English  Immigration  109 

X.  Later  History  of  the  Close 'Brothers  113 

5 


6  CONTENTS 

XI.    Contributions  to  Agriculture    .    .    .  120 
XTT.    Immigrant   Farmers    in   the    English 

Colony 129 

Xin.    Farm  Pupils  in  the  English  Colony    .  141 
XrV.    Iowa    Englishmen    and    the     Eugby 

Colony 157 

XV.    Fame  of  the  Lb  Mars  Colony    ....  161 
XVT.    Business  and  Professional  Life  in  .the 

English  Colony 174 

XVn.    A  Story  of  Coal 178 

XVni.    Games  and  Sports  Among  the  English  187 
XIX.    Saloons  and  Other  Things  American  210 
XX.    Social  Life:  The  Prairie  Club    .    .    .  221 
XXI.    English  Church  Life  in  Northwestern 

Iowa 237 

XXII.    Disappearance    of    the    British    from 

Northwestern    Iowa 245 

Notes  and  Eeferences 253 

Index 295 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

Few  phases  of  the  history  of  the  world  so 
strongly  and  so  steadily  excite  the  imagination  as 
the  swarmings  of  the  races  of  mankind  across  the 
surface  of  the  earth.  Mongols  and  Tartars  in 
Asia,  and  Huns,  Goths,  Norsemen,  Moors,  and 
Turks  in  Europe:  these  and  other  peoples  suc- 
cessively supplied  much  of  what  is  spectacular 
and  fascinating  in  the  chronicles  of  the  Old 
World.  Equally  striking  and  picturesque  is  the 
migration  by  land  and  sea  of  whole  tribes  of  bar- 
barian Angles  and  Saxons  from  the  forests  of 
northern  Germany,  and  of  Danes  and  Normans 
at  a  later  day,  to  make  their  homes  in  the  British 
Isles. 

To  Americans  who  like  to  claim  British  and 
European  origins  as  their  own,  the  early  wander- 
ings of  the  world's  great  human  family  extend  a 
powerful  appeal ;  but  more  intimate  and  personal 
is  the  story  of  the  peopling  of  the  New  World, 
not  only  by  hordes  of  emigrants  from  the  Old 
World  but  also  by  their  Americ£in-bom  descend- 
ants. Covering  a  period  of  four  centuries  that 
extraordinary  story,  though  now  complete  in  its 
main  outlines,  has  never  been  fully  told  and  can 

7 


8  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

not  be  so  long  as  the  American  continents  continue 
to  drain  the  population  reservoirs  of  older  lands. 

For  reasons  chiefly  economic  and  religious,  mil- 
lions of  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Europe  have 
abandoned  their  ancestral  haunts  to  seek  better 
homes  in  the  vast  open  spaces  of  settlements  over- 
seas. Other  millions,  lured  by  the  call  of  the  wild 
and  moved  by  the  spirit  of  adventure,  likewise 
forsook  friends  and  kindred  to  try  their  fortunes 
beyond  the  Atlantic.  In  North  and  South  Amer- 
ica they  braved  the  hostility  of  scattered  tribes  of 
aborigines  and  the  hardships  incidental  to  pioneer- 
ing in  the  wilderness.  The  struggle  to  conquer 
nature,  begun  by  these  enterprising  colonists 
generations  ago,  has  been  continued  by  their  de- 
scendants, constantly  reenforced  by  fresh  acces- 
sions from  all  the  racial  stocks  of  Europe. 

Pausing  to  look  back  over  the  years  consumed 
in  the  long  process  of  subduing  and  occupying  a 
continent,  anyone  who  reflects  upon  man's  cease- 
less battle  with  the  forces  about  him  must  be 
impelled  to  take  pride  in  the  results  already 
achieved:  cities  and  to^vns  and  farms,  raised  as 
if  by  magic  from  the  soil,  now  stand  as  monuments 
to  commemorate  three  centuries  of  human 
achievement. 

Impressed  by  what  has  been  done  to  convert  a 
wilderness  into  the  abode  of  more  than  one  hun- 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE  9 

dred  millions  of  people,  ever}^  citizen  of  Iowa  who 
lets  his  fancy  wander  back  into  the  century  not 
yet  ended  since  permanent  settlements  in  his  State 
began  naturally  inquires  who  the  first  uihabitants 
of  his  neighborhood  were,  where  they  came  from, 
and  what  part  they  played  as  builders  of  the  State 
and  nation.  From  a  contemplation  of  the  Iowa 
pioneers  he  may  go  even  farther  back  and  seek  to 
discover  who  his  paternal  and  maternal  ancestors 
were,  where  they  dwelt,  and  what  they  did  in  their 
workada}^  world ;  and  being  somewhat  of  a  geneal- 
ogist at  heart,  he  would,  if  he  could,  construct  his 
family  tree  with  roots  striking  deep  into  the  re- 
motest past,  not  altogether  from  reasons  of  family 
pride  but  because  he  finds  here  a  panorama  of 
bygone  days  that  pictures  life  itself. 

There  is,  to  be  sure,  in  all  this  nothing  sugges- 
tive of  the  practical  or  materialistic;  but  as  the 
passing  years  awaken  State  and  local  pride,  popu- 
lar interest  in  such  matters  is  almost  certain  to 
increase.  In  Iowa,  long  called  the  garden  spot  of 
the  Mississippi  Valley,  historians  have  not  yet 
followed  all  the  streams  of  native-bom  Americans 
and  of  foreigners  that  have  poured  into  its  fertile 
fields:  no  one  has  fully  told  of  the  expansion  of 
the  American  people  from  the  Mississippi  River 
westward  to  the  ISIissouri.  Much  remains  to  be 
done  before  the  Iowa  chapter  in  that  remarkable 


10  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

romance  of  immigration  and  settlement,  begun 
less  than  ninety  years  ago,  can  be  called  complete. 

For  more  than  a  century  and  a  half  after  its 
discovery,  the  Iowa  country  continued  to  be  little 
more  than  the  home  and  the  haunt  of  a  few  thou- 
sand Indians.  To  this  wilderness  primeval,  white 
men  —  French,  British,  and  later  Americans  — 
had  resorted  to  trade  with  the  native  inhabitants ; 
some  had  come  to  explore  the  prairies  and  valleys ; 
and  just  a  few  had  established  homes  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Keokuk.  The  real  invasion  and 
occupation  of  the  Iowa  country,  however,  did  not 
begin  until  the  government  of  the  United  States 
opened  wide  the  gates  to  immigration  in  the  month 
of  June,  1833. 

The  march  of  the  frontier  of  civilization  from 
the  Mississippi  River  westward  and  from  the 
State  of  Missouri  northward  forms  the  Iowa 
chapter  in  the  fascinating  story  of  the  expansion 
of  the  American  people  across  the  continent.  By 
what  means  and  agencies  the  vast  domain  acquired 
from  the  Red  Men  was  eventually  placed  in  the 
hands  of  settlers,  who  the  original  grantees  of  land 
patents  were,  and  whence  the  pioneers  came  — 
these  are  some  of  the  questions  to  which  the  future 
historian  of  Iowa  must  find  answers. 

The  two  studies  presented  in  the  following 
pages  are  designed  as  contributions  to  the  larger 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE  11 

task.  The  first  treats  in  a  more  or  less  general 
way  of  the  British  element  in  the  population  of 
the  Commonwealth  of  Iowa;  and  the  author  be- 
lieves it  should  inspire  those  who  would  like  to 
have  a  more  detailed  and  intimate  view  of  the 
subject  with  the  possibility  of  further  historical 
investigation  in  that  field.  The  second  study  re- 
lates to  the  interesting  episode  of  the  coming  of 
seA^eral  hundreds  of  Britishers  to  that  portion  of, 
Iowa  which  was  the  last  to  be  occupied  by  home- 
seekers.  This  part  relates  largely  to  northwestern 
Iowa  though  settlements  were  also  made  in 
Minnesota. 

Nine  years  ago  the  author  began  gathering  in- 
formation on  the  British  invasion  of  northwestern 
Iowa,  but  not  until  the  summer  of  1921  could  time 
be  found  to  finish  for  the  press  what  other  activ- 
ities had  so  long  delayed.  In  the  pursuit  of  his 
task  the  writer  sought  and  obtained  help  from 
many  sources,  and  acknowledgements  are  due  Mr. 
C.  W.  Pitts  of  Alton;  Mr.  Ed  Dalton,  Judge  C.  C. 
Bradley,  and  Mr.  Adair  G.  Colpoys  of  Le  Mars; 
and  Mr.  S.  R.  Watkins  of  Chicago,  Illinois. 
Especial  thanks  are  due  Mr.  James  C.  Gillespie, 
publisher  of  The  Le  Mars  Sentinel,  for  permission 
to  use  the  files  of  old  newspapers  in  his  possession. 
Without  the  frequent  quotation  of  '^ scoops"  and 
gossipy  news  items  from  those  volumes  the  author 
feels  that  contemporaneous  American  interest  in 


12  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

the  *' colony"  centering  about  Le  Mars  could  never 
have  been  fully  grasped. 

The  author  is  grateful  also  to  Mr.  John  W.  Pro- 
bert,  manager  of  Close  Brothers  and  Company  of 
Chicago,  for  an  outline  sketch  of  the  general  his- 
tory of  the  firm  and  corporation  with  which  he  has 
been  connected  almost  from  the  beginning.  Mr. 
Probert's  account,  though  based  on  memory,  tal- 
lies closely  with  the  facts  as  acquired  from  other 
sources.  In  answer  to  an  inquiry  after  the  books 
of  accoimt  of  the  early  years  of  the  firm  in  Iowa, 
Mr.  Probert  replied  that  the  records  were  all  gone 
by  now.  Consequently,  the  author  can  not  vouch 
for  the  accuracy  of  statements  about  the  extent  of 
the  company  ^s  operations,  derived  as  they  are 
from  contemporaneous  newspaper  annoimcements. 
Authentic  information  on  the  operations  of  a  typi- 
cal land  company  in  that  part  of  the  Iowa  wilder- 
ness which  w^as  the  last  to  be  brought  under  the 
dominion  of  man  would  have  been  especially  valu- 
able because,  so  far  as  the  author  knows,  no  such 
matters  have  yet  been  made  the  subject  of  in- 
vestigation and  permanent  record  in  Iowa  and 
perhaps  not  in  any  other  part  of  the  Middle  West. 
In  passing,  one  can  not  help  but  regret  that  valu- 
able materials  on  the  history  of  the  settlement  of 
the  State  such  as  the  books  of  account  of  land 
companies  are  being  lost  or  destroyed. 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE  13 

In  conclusion,  the  author  wishes  to  acknowledge 
the  encouragement  received  from  Professor  Benj. 
F.  Shambaugh  and  the  assistance  rendered  by 
William  B.  Close,  Esq.,  the  founder  of  the  British 
''colony",  who  has  for  many  years  been  living  in 
England.  His  excellent  pamphlet  on  farming  in 
northwestern  Iowa,  published  in  1880,  contains  a 
great  amount  of  indispensable  material;  and  his 
letters  from  a  London  hospital,  in  the  autumn  of 
1921,  when  he  was  recovering  at  the  age  of  nearly 
seventy  from  the  effects  of  an  operation  and  a  bad 
attack  of  influenza,  furnished  many  facts  not 
otherwise  discoverable.  Mr.  Close  stated  that  al- 
though it  seemed  rather  strange  to  him  that  so 
much  interest  should  be  taken  in  his  old  settlement 
he  was  glad  to  aid  in  every  way.  To  Mr.  Henry 
H.  Drake,  an  old  Oxonian  and  for  forty  years  a 
resident  of  northwestern  Iowa,  the  author  is  great- 
ly indebted  for  his  kindness  in  helping  to  round 
out  the  story  in  many  respects. 

Jacob  Van  der  Zee 

The  State  Uniyersity  of  Iowa 
Iowa  City  Iowa 


PARTI 
BRITISH  EMIGRANTS  IN  IOWA 


I 

POINTING  THE  WAY  TO  IOWA 

Until  the  year  1850  English-speaking  but  native- 
bom  Americans  overwhelmingly  predominated  in 
the  flow  of  immigration  to  the  settled  portions  of 
Iowa.  Hailing  from  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Penn- 
sylvania, New  York,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  the 
Carolinas,  and  the  New  England  States,  they  were 
the  descendants  of  the  racial  stocks  that  had 
originally  peopled  the  Atlantic  seaboard  areas/ 
Their  names  for  the  most  part  bore  witness  to  an 
English  ancestry,  but  many  of  the  Iowa  pioneers 
could  not  have  concealed  a  different  extraction  — 
such  as  Scotch,  Irish,  Dutch,  German,  Moravian, 
Swedish,  and  French.  They  were,  indeed,  the  off- 
shoots of  all  the  strains  represented  in  the  popula- 
tion of  the  older  States. 

JOHN  B.  NEWHALL 

In  the  early  forties,  when  the  British  public 
was  being  showered  with  journals,  travels,  letters, 
and  notes  relating  to  America  —  all  too  frequently 
prepared  by  superficial  observers  —  there  ap- 
peared upon  the  lecture  platform  in  various  parts 

17 


18  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

of  England,  the  home  of  his  ancestors,  a  man  who 
brought  his  hearers  first-hand  information  of  the 
American  frontier  and  of  the  social  and  economic 
condition  of  its  people.  He  spoke  not  from  books, 
nor  did  he  draw  upon  imagination  for  romance 
or  distorted  pictures  of  that  vast,  boundless,  open 
country  on  the  western  shore  of  the  Mississippi. 
On  the  contrary,  he  came  before  his  listeners  as  a 
witness  of  the  things  his  eyes  had  seen  in  that 
primeval  wilderness. 

In  1834,  the  second  year  of  Iowa  pioneering, 
John  B.  Newhall  had  joined  the  rush  of  emigrants 
to  the  Iowa  country,  and  so  he  could  make  the 
proud  boast  that  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  lay 
eyes  upon  the  prairies  blooming  there  in  solitude. 
In  1841  he  had  written  a  book  on  lowa,^  and  hav- 
ing made  his  home  in  this  inviting  region  he  could 
truthfully  say  to  the  English  people  in  1844: 

I  participated  in  rearing  the  first  land  marks  of  a 
young  and  rising  state  —  new  cities  have  sprung  up 
before  me  —  I  have  witnessed  the  great  work  of  civili- 
zation in  all  its  various  stages,  from  the  lone  cabin 
of  the  frontier  settler,  to  a  happy  and  intelligent 
population  of  170,000  souls!' 

At  Birmingham,  Liverpool,  London,  and  other 
cities  he  preached  the  utility  of  emigration.*  Ap- 
palled by  the  ugliness  and  wretchedness  of  life  in 
those  crowded  centers  in  contrast  with  the  easy 
circumstances   of   the   same   class   of   people  in 


POINTING  THE  WAY  TO  IOWA  19 

America  and  animated  by  a  sincere  desire  to  pro- 
mote the  happiness  of  his  fellow  men,  Newhall  in 
1844  published  a  handbook  and  guide  for  pro- 
spective British  emigrants.  Englishmen  naturally 
questioned  his  motives  and  jumped  to  the  con- 
clusion that  he  was  a  speculator  or  land  agent  — 
"as  though  it  were  impossible,  in  the  Nineteenth 
Century,  for  a  man  to  be  actuated  by  a  Spirit  of 
Philanthropy,  of  humanity  and  love." 

Newhall  f oimd  it  necessary,  therefore,  to  assure 
his  readers  that  nothing  could  be  further  from  the 
truth  than  that  he  was  mercenary :  he  asked  them 
to  believe  that  there  was  '*a  loftier  purpose  to  live 
for,  than  bowing  to  the  shrine  of  Mamfaon."  And, 
despite  their  prejudices  against  the  United  States, 
he  invited  their  attention  to  the  claims  of  Illinois, 
Wisconsin,  and  Iowa,  especially  the  latter  two, 
'^possessed  of  a  Soil  unrivalled  in  the  variety  and 
excellence  of  their  productions,  and  rapidly  set- 
tling, by  a  people,  who  are  bound  to  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  race  by  the  indissoluble  ties  of  kindred, 
religion,  and  above  all  of  Language." 

To  the  British  agriculturalist  as  well  as  to  the 
industrious  artisan,  merchant,  capitalist,  trader, 
and  day  laborer,  he  pointed  out  all  the  advantages 
of  the  New  West,  especially  describing  the  Terri- 
tory of  Iowa:  the  face  of  the  country,  soil,  prod- 
ucts, timber  and  woodland,  rivers,  prairies,  cli- 


20  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

mate,  and  seasons,  public  lands  and  land  offices, 
the  best  fields  for  settlement,  the  average  prices 
of  articles  of  family  consumption,  the  average 
prices  of  cows,  horses,  sheep,  and  necessary  farm 
implements,  the  principal  towns,  and  the  moral 
and  social  character  of  the  people.  Furthermore, 
Newhall  gave  explicit  instructions  about  the  long 
voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  the  choice  of  ship  pro- 
visions, and  routes  to  the  American  interior. 

These  matters  constituted  the  sort  of  informa- 
tion then  required  —  particularly  by  the  emigrant 
societies  which  had  spnmg  up  in  many  parts  of  the 
mother  countrj^  Of  that  movement  so  silently 
but  rapidly  spreading  through  English  shires, 
Newhall  recorded  his  conviction  that  **  associative 
Emigration  is  the  true  principle  to  work  upon,  it 
will  do  more  to  mitigate  the  woes  of  our  common 
humanity,  than  the  numberless  political  agitations 
of  the  day;  it  will  effectually  strip  emigration  of 
the  miseries  and  hardships  that  have  so  frequently 
attended  the  isolated  wanderer."" 

Most  interesting  was  Newhall 's  answer  to  the 
Englishman's  question  whether  he  could  succeed 
with  $500  in  his  pocket.  He  did  not  hesitate  to 
say  that  the  industrious  and  prudent  man  could 
lay  the  foundation  of  a  handsome  property  with 
such  a  sirni :  for  less  than  $400  the  emigrant  could 
be  comfortably  settled  upon  an  eighty-acre  tract 


POINTING  THE  WAY  TO  IOWA  21 

supplied  with  a  good  house,  yoke  of  oxen,  horse, 
cow,  twelve  sheep,  poultry,  pig,  wagon,  plough, 
harrow,  seed,  and  thirty  weeks  provisions  until  a 
small  crop  was  raised  for  subsistence.  To  quote 
his  exact  words:  "And  if  you  do  not  happen  to 
have  a  *Home  sick  Wife,'  I  can  see  no  reason  why, 
with  ordinary  Good  Luck,  blessed  with  patience 
and  perseverance,  you  should  not  prosper  equal 
to  your  utmost  expectations." 

Thus  established  and  with  $100  left  over,  the 
British  emigrant  was  warned  not  to  let  the  surplus 
ooze  away.  A  capital  error  generally  made  by 
emigrants  was  to  spend  their  last  dollar  on  land 
at  the  outset,  thus  dooming  themselves  to  several 
years  of  up-hill  work  and  perhaps  discourage- 
ment. Another  piece  of  Newhall's  advice  reads: 
"If  you  have  £500,  purchase  320  acres,  a  half  sec- 
tion; cultivate  it  well,  load  your  own  flat  boats 
with  your  own  produce,  take  it  to  New  Orleans, 
and  realize  a  handsome  return,  without  having  it 
wasted  aw^ay  by  the  commissions  of  the  Mer- 
chant."" 

Too  many  English  people,  in  those  days  when 
hunger  led  to  the  repeal  of  the  Corn  Laws,  im- 
agined that  setting  foot  upon  American  soil  would 
mark  the  end  of  all  their  sorrows;  whereas  in 
reality  arrival  in  the  New  World  too  frequently 
only  aggravated  their  woes.  For  months  the  news- 


22  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

papers  of  England  were  filled  with  accounts  of  the 
return  home  of  hundreds  of  disillusioned  emi- 
grants who  brought  back  doleful  stories  of  their 
experience  in  New  York  and  other  Atlantic  ports. 
These  disappointed  ones  became  a  stumbling-block 
to  others  who  heartily  yearned  to  improve  their 
forlorn  condition.  Lest  such  destitute,  dis- 
heartened persons  should  become  a  criterion  of 
the  wisdom  of  emigration  to  the  Valley  of  the 
Mississippi,  Newhall  declared: 

Can  we  expect  men  to  be  benefitted,  who  rush  head- 
long and  blindly  to  America,  without  any  fixed  object, 
or  ultimate  aims,  either  of  occupation  or  place  of 
abode!  ....  I  am  willing  to  venture  the  assertion, 
that  America  possesses  all  the  advantages,  and  in- 
ducements for  the  industrious,  persevering  and  frugal 
Emigrant,  now  that  it  ever  has  from  the  day  of  its 
first  discovery.  But  those  advantages  are  not  to  be 
found  "picked  up"  on  the  pavements  of  every  Atlantic 
city  ....  It  is  a  mistaken  notion,  if  people  suppose 
the  hogs  run  about  the  streets  there,  already  roasted, 
with  a  fork  stuck  in  their  backs,  crying  come  "Come, 
Eat  me."  Here  has  been  one  great  cause  of  failure 
and  disappointment.^ 

Newhall  also  cautioned  Englishmen  against  the 
"runners"  at  the  ports,  a  set  of  harpies  who 
fleeced  and  robbed  emigrants  of  their  money  at 
every  opportunity;  he  begged  them  not  to  lose 
sight  of  the  fact  that  while  hundreds  had  returned 


POINTING  THE  WAY  TO  IOWA  23 

home,  thousands  had  remained  in  America  and 
were  doing  well ;  and  he  emphatically  declared  that 
if  they  did  not  have  sufficient  nerve  to  endure  pri- 
vations for  a  few  months  in  Iowa,  they  had  better 
never  leave  their  homes,  for  success  w^ould  not 
crown  their  efforts.^ 

AIjICE  MANN 

Before  the  era  of  railroad  building  in  Iowa,  the 
State  had  been  introduced  to  the  people  of  the 
United  States  not  only  through  the  newspapers  of 
the  time  but  also  through  tourist  handbooks  and 
emigrant  guides,  of  which  a  goodly  number  had 
been  placed  on  sale  before  the  Civil  War.  That 
some  of  these  descriptive  sketches,  prepared  pri- 
marily for  American  consumption,  found  their 
way  to  the  British  Isles  there  is  little  reason  to 
doubt;  but  the  information  which  Britishers  ac- 
quired on  the  general  subject  of  emigration  was 
obtained  more  because  they  sought  it  than  because 
Americans  brought  it  to  them. 

For  a  considerable  time  the  United  States  had 
been  the  most  favored  field  of  emigration  in  Great 
Britain,  not  even  Canada  and  Australia  excepted. 
The  British  public  had  been  placed  in  more  or  less 
intimate  touch  with  the  northern  portion  of  the 
Union  as  the  best  suited  for  immigration:  by  the 
year  1850  several  gentlemen  had  written  books 


24  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

based  on  tours  of  the  West  or  residence  in  Amer- 
ica, and  such  testimony  was  eagerly  sought  because 
people  believed  it  to  be  unprejudiced  and  im- 
partial. Eventually,  Alice  Mann,  a  printer  of 
Leeds,  took  the  results  of  their  practical  observa- 
tion and  experience  along  with  Newhall's  instruc- 
tive little  books  (to  which  her  only  objection  was 
**that  they  are  rather  flowery")  and  out  of  such 
materials  wove  a  compact  guide  which  went 
through  several  editions.®  Having  compiled  such 
information  mainly  for  the  working  and  industrial 
classes.  Miss  Mann  clearly  described  conditions  in 
the  mother  country"  in  the  following  terms: 

Emigration  must  continue  to  he  a  subject  of  ever- 
increasing  interest  to  the  British  people.  Hemmed 
in  as  we  are  by  the  sea  in  all  directions  —  the  greater 
part  of  the  land  in  our  own  country  monopolized  by 
the  high  aristocratic  families  —  with  a  population 
steadily  increasing  in  the  face  of  diminished  demand 
for  labour  in  consequence  of  the  ever-increasing  pro- 
ductions of  our  mechanical  powers,  —  the  desire  to 
emigrate  to  new  and  virgin  soils,  where  every  man 
may,  with  comparatively  little  difficulty,  become  an 
independent  landowner,  —  cannot  fail  to  extend,  with 
the  increase  of  information  as  to  the  extraordinary 
capabilities  which  the  United  States  as  well  as  the 
British  Colonies,  offer  to  the  free  labourers  of  this 
and  all  other  countries  of  the  Old  World." 

But  these  foreign  lands  were  a  well  spring  of 
hope  also  to  the  heads  of  middle  class  families  who 


POINTING  THE  WAY  TO  IOWA  25 

foimd  it  increasingly  difficult  to  maintain  their 
households  respectably  and  to  establish  their  chil- 
dren in  overstocked  business  or  professional 
careers.    To  quote  Miss  Mannas  words: 

Competition  for  subsistence  is  every  day  growing 
more  keen;  and  the  anxious  parent  is  puzzled  what 
to  do  with  his  rising  sons  and  daughters.  One  year 
the  manufacturing  class  complains  of  distress,  and 
another  year  the  agricultural  class.  Both  classes  are 
alike  diligent,  anxious  to  work,  and  to  work  hard  pro- 
vided the  gains  of  their  labour  promise  to  maintain 
them  decently.  But  often  their  labour  is  in  vain,  and 
they  feel  as  if  their  place  at  Nature's  Board  were 
already  occupied,  and  they  must  turn  their  eyes  else- 
where.^^ 

From  such  intense  competition  at  home  indus- 
trious farmers,  laborers,  and  mechanics  were 
asked  to  look  to  the  boundless,  unoccupied  lands 
where  **no  man  need  suffer  from  want  of  the 
means  of  physical  comfort;  no  fear  need  be  felt 
as  to  the  future  of  a  family,  no  matter  how  numer- 
ous." Individuals  who  contemplated  a  change  of 
scene  were,  however,  properly  cautioned  in  these 
words : 

Not  that  men  have  to  work  less  diligently  there  than 
they  do  at  home.  By  no  means !  It  would  be  practis- 
ing a  gross  deception,  were  we  to  inculcate  that  any 
man  could  thrive  in  the  States  or  in  the  Colonies, 
without  the  practice  of  steady,  persistent,  daily  in- 
dustry.   The  idle  and  the  drone  will  be  a  poor  man 


26  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

there,  as  he  will  be  at  home.  He  is  a  cumberer  of 
the  ground  everywhere.  But  let  a  man  work  with  a 
will,  let  his  labour  be  directed  by  even  the  most  or- 
dinary share  of  intelligence,  and  then  we  say  he  has 
a  prospect  of  success  and  prosperity  before  him  in 
these  new  lands,  such  as  but  rarely  falls  to  his  lot  in 
this  old  and  labour-stocked  quarter  of  the  globe.  He 
has  to  submit  to  inconvenience  and  perhaps  distress, 
in  leaving  his  own  native  land,  and  voyaging  his  way 
across  the  Atlantic  or  Pacific  Ocean.  Many  dear  ties 
have  to  be  severed;  but  he  thinks  of  the  promised 
land  before  him,  and  looks  forward  with  hope  to  the 
inheritance  he  is  to  bequeath  to  his  children." 

To  the  wide-awake,  industrious  Englishman  who 
regarded  economic  conditions  at  home  without  a 
sign  of  hope,  Miss  Mann  declared,  many  regions 
of  the  earth  still  unpeopled  and  American  States 
like  Iowa  still  waiting  for  settlers  beckoned  with 
positive  assurance."  Such  a  man,  fortified  by 
steadiness,  resolution,  and  a  stout  heart,  need  not 
hesitate  to  venture  out  on  the  emigrant's  career 
—  he  could  make  up  his  mind  to  ** rough  it'*  for 
several  years  *' before  he  can  settle  quietly  down 
under  his  vine  and  fig-tree,  and  gather  in  their 
fruits".  In  Iowa,  which  was  the  Far  West  of  that 
day,  the  thriving  towns  of  Burlington,  Dubuque, 
Davenport,  Fort  Madison,  Iowa  City,  and  Bloom- 
ington  (now  Muscatine)  were  commended  as  pre- 
senting excellent  opportunity  for  skilled  labor. 
Miss  Mann's  delineation  of  the  face  of  the  Iowa 


POINTING  THE  WAY  TO  IOWA  27 

country  also  carried  hope  to  those  who  wanted 
better  returns  from  agriculture.  Her  attractive 
statement  reads  as  follows: 

The  State  of  Iowa,  in  the  picturesque  beauty  of  its 
scenery,  and  the  richness  of  its  verdure,  much  re- 
sembles the  finest  portions  of  the  south  of  England 
counties;  though,  in  native  richness  and  fertility,  it 
far  surpasses  any  portion  of  this  country.  Here  and 
there  it  is  partially  wooded,  somewhat  like  a  gentle- 
man's park  in  this  country,  being  moderately  undulat- 
ing, and  no  where,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State, 
rising  into  hills  or  mountains.  All  is  green  and  cultiv- 
able. On  the  margins  of  the  rivers  there  are  occasional 
ranges  of  "bluffs,"  intersected  by  ravines.^^ 

The  prairies,  climate,  productions,  crops,  timber, 
seasons,  and  other  matters  of  interest  were  like- 
wise briefly  touched  upon.  Indeed,  an  Englishman 
by  the  name  of  Rubio  who  had  written  a  book  on 
his  rambles  in  the  United  States  was  quoted  as 
speaking  in  the  highest  terms  only  of  Iowa  "which 
stands  A  1  for  emigrants,  in  his  estimation".  De- 
clared Miss  Mann: 

We  can  imagine  few  conditions  of  life  more  favour- 
able to  the  enjojnnent  of  earthly  happiness  than  that 
of  a  settler  on  a  rich  piece  of  land  in  Ohio,  Illinois, 
or  Iowa :  he  is  in  the  midst  of  plenty  —  the  land  teems 
with  abundance  —  labour  is  never  without  its  reward 
—  and  its  fruits  are  all  the  labourer's  own.  He  may 
not  be  rich  in  gold  or  silver  coin;  but  if  the  land  he 
tills  be  his  own,  and  that  land  produces  more  than 


28  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

sufficient  for  his  own  wants  and  the  wants  of  aU  his 
household,  has  he  not  here  the  elements  of  the  most 
substantial  happiness?  Let  him  take  courage,  then, 
and  struggle  onward." 

People  who  showed  the  white  feather,  **Miss 
Nancy"  emigrants  who  returned  to  England  after 
a  try  at  the  New  World,  were  held  up  as  dismal 
illustrations  of  the  sort  of  stuff  that  could  not 
succeed  anywhere. 

GEORGE  SHEPPARD  AND  THE   CLINTON  COUNTY 
SETTLEMENTS 

During  the  winter  of  1849  George  Sheppard,  an 
Englishman,  delivered  several  lectures  at  Hull, 
England,  extolling  Iowa  as  a  State  where  **  health, 
wealth  and  beauty  are  spread  out  in  every  direc- 
tion". So  forceful  was  his  presentation  of  the 
advantages  of  emigration  to  America  that  a  society 
was  organized  for  the  purchase  of  a  tract  of  land, 
and  Mr.  Sheppard  was  engaged  to  help  make  the 
selection  of  a  site. 

On  May  15,  1850,  the  emigrants  sailed  from 
Liverpool  on  the  ship  ** Columbus"  and  reached 
New  York  after  a  six  weeks*  voyage.  Upon  ar- 
riving at  Davenport,  Iowa,  they  made  arrange- 
ments with  Cook  and  Sargent  (land  agents  and 
bankers),  to  assist  them  in  their  undertaking.  On 
the  stage  route  to  Dubuque,  at  a  place  nine  or  ten 


POINTING  THE  WAY  TO  IOWA  29 

miles  northwest  of  De  Witt  —  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment in  Clinton  County  and  then  a  small  town 
with  a  log  cabin  tavern  —  the  emigrants  purchased 
about  two  thousand  acres  of  oak  timber  and 
prairie  land  and  divided  it  according  to  the  sums 
of  money  each  had  invested  in  the  enterprise.  Up- 
on a  hill  which  commanded  a  beautiful  view  east, 
south,  and  west,  they  laid  out  forty  acres  in  one- 
acre  lots  and  called  the  village  Welton.  High 
hopes  were  naturally  entertained  of  the  future  of 
this  place,  situated  on  the  military  and  mail  road 
between  Davenport  and  Dubuque.  Writing  to 
friends  ui  England  in  the  summer  of  1850,  George 
Sheppard  noted  that  land  speculators  were  watch- 
ing the  colonists'  movements,  and  he  prophesied 
"that  within  twelve  months  from  this  not  an  acre 
will  be  purchasable  near  us  except  at  double  the 
government  price.  "^^ 

A  number  of  buildings  rose  on  the  spot  which 
these  people  had  chosen  —  hotel,  shops,  stores,  and 
dwellings.  For  a  time  the  colony  flourished;  but 
its  members  having  been  trained  as  mechanics  and 
artisans  —  tailors,  bookbinders,  painters,  and 
others  —  found  pioneer  life  unattractive,  and  so 
they  forsook  their  farms  and  returned  to  their 
trades,  scattering  to  other  towTis  throughout  the 
country.  This  village  which  died  out  is  still  known 
as  **01d  Welton".    The  name  is  also  perpetuated 


30  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

in  another  village  not  far  to  the  south  and  in  the 
township  where  it  lay,  **a  monument  to  the  designs 
of  its  founders." 

Of  a  different  character  were  the  English  fam- 
ilies which  began  to  settle  in  Eden  and  Center 
townships  w^est  of  the  town  of  Camanche  in  the 
same  coimty.  Nearly  all  are  said  to  have  come 
from  the  village  of  Killingham,  Lincolnshire,  Eng- 
land. Bringing  capital  with  them,  they  bought  out 
the  pioneers  of  the  region  and  in  1879  were  re- 
ported as  largely  engaged  in  stock  raising,  thrifty 
and  enterprising,  with  broad  fields  and  fine  farm- 
houses. In  their  vicinity  the  Chicago  and  North- 
western Railroad  selected  a  site  for  a  station ;  and 
when  the  town-planners  were  debating  a  name  for 
the  place,  the  superintendent  of  construction, 
standing  by  a  pile  of  rails  and  noting  the  words 
**Low  Moor,  England '*  stamped  upon  them,  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  the  adoption  of  that  name. 
Since  then  Englishmen  have  always  been  found  in 
this  neighborhood." 

During  these  years  William  Lake,  an  English- 
man by  birth  and  president  of  St.  George's  Bene- 
volent Association  of  Clinton,  Iowa,  interested 
himself  in  immigration  to  such  an  extent  that  he 
was  in  communication  with  the  British  Working 
Men's  Association.  He  declared  his  belief  that  if 
the  horribly  cruel  and  unjust  quarantine  regula- 


POINTING  THE  WAY  TO  IOWA  31 

tions  of  the  port  of  New  York  were  improved, 
immigration  into  the  United  States  could  be 
doubled.'^ 


n 

STATE  ENCOURAGEMENT  OF 
IMMIGRATION 

What  effect  Newhall  had  in  England  there  is  no 
way  to  show ;  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  in- 
fluence of  other  writers.^"  There  is,  however,  suf- 
ficient evidence  to  prove  that  as  early  as  1850, 
when  the  United  States  census  first  began  to  re- 
cord the  nativity  of  the  nation's  inhabitants  and 
when  the  occupation  of  the  woods  and  prairies  of 
Iowa  had  been  going  on  for  twenty  years,  settlers 
of  British  birth  had  already  appeared  upon  the 
American  frontier.  Of  the  192,214  people  in  Iowa 
at  that  time,  it  appears  that  20,969  were  born  in 
foreign  countries;  and  of  these  more  than  half 
were  British  — 4885  Irish,  3785  English,  1756 
British-Americans,  and  712  Scotch."  Further- 
more, it  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  the  people  of 
British  birth  exceeded  those  of  German  origin  not 
only  in  1850  but  also  in  every  census  year  for 
three  decades  thereafter. 

No  direct  effort  (other  than  by  means  of  such 
booklets  as  those  written  by  John  B.  Newhall  and 
Alice  Mann)  seems  to  have  been  made  before  1860 


ENCOURAGEMENT  OF  IMMIGRATION  33 

to  induce  British  people  to  leave  their  homes  and 
come  to  Iowa.  The  Dubuque  Emigrant  Associa- 
tion, organized  in  1858,  may  have  brought  its  in- 
fluence to  bear  on  emigrants  after  their  arrival  at 
Castle  Garden  in  New  York  City,  but  it  did  not 
directly  encourage  emigration  from  the  British 
Isles,  though  a  pamphlet"  intended  for  people  in 
the  eastern  States  very  likely  fell  into  the  hands 
of  foreigners  as  well.  Not  until  observing  lowans 
awoke  to  the  fact  that  the  States  of  Minnesota  and 
Wisconsin  were  actively  engaged  in  luring  emi- 
grants within  their  borders  did  Iowa  legislators 
provide  for  a  commissioner  of  immigration  in 
New  York  City."  At  his  office  there  during  the 
years  1860  and  1861  he  imparted  information  and 
distributed  literature  to  all  who  came ;  but  before 
his  retirement  he  pointed  out  the  futility  of  ap- 
proaching foreigners  whose  final  destination  in 
America  was  generally  determined  previous  to 
their  sailing  from  Europe.  During  the  Civil  War 
and  the  reconstruction  period  following,  the  gov- 
ernment of  Iowa  did  practically  nothing  to  en- 
courage immigration  to  the  State. 

Competitive  publicity  measures  on  the  part  of 
neighboring  States,  however,  again  served  to  shake 
the  Iowa  legislature  out  of  its  persistent  indiffer- 
ence to  the  subject.  Created  by  law  in  1870,  the 
Iowa  State  Board  of  Immigration  began  its  duties 


34  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

by  printing  and  distributing  small  circulars  and 
sending  out  newspaper  notices  inviting  corre- 
spondence from  persons  who  desired  information 
about  settling  in  Iowa.  A.  R.  Fulton,  secretary 
of  the  Board,  prepared  for  publication  in  various 
languages  a  pamphlet  on  the  agricultural,  mineral, 
and  other  resources  of  the  State/*  Various  rail- 
road companies  and  the  Hamburg  Steamship  Line 
were  instrumental  in  carrying  .  such  advertising 
matter  to  Europe  at  very  slight  cost  to  the  Board. 
Governor  Merrill's  letter  to  the  Workingmen's 
Emigrant  Association  of  London  was  also  widely 
distributed  among  the  branches  in  the  cities  and 
towns  of  England,  Scotland,  and  Wales.  The 
Board  commissioned  Edward  T.  Edginton  of 
Lucas  County,  Rev.  Alexander  King  of  Ireland, 
and  Alexander  A.  Wise  of  London  to  disseminate 
information  throughout  the  British  Isles.  Both 
King  and  Wise  as  resident  agents  were  after- 
wards highly  praised  for  their  valuable  services  in 
attracting  attention  to  Iowa,  Mr.  King  having  con- 
tributed many  ably  written  articles  to  leading 
religious  and  secular  journals  in  his  country." 

Because  four  of  the  members  of  the  State  Board 
of  Immigration  of  1870-1871  were  foreign-bom 
and  represented  the  Dutch,  the  German,  and  the 
Scandinavian  elements  in  the  population  of  Iowa, 
the  Irish  of  Iowa  expressed  considerable  dissatis- 


ENCOURAGEMENT  OF  IMMIGRATION  35 

faction  through  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy  of  the 
diocese  of  Dubuque.  To  the  Hon.  Richard  O  'Gor- 
man of  New  York  City  they  addressed  a  letter  for 
the  benefit  of  their  fellow  countrjrmen  in  Ireland 
on  the  subject  of  emigration.  Furthermore,  be- 
cause Governor  Merrill,  in  alluding  to  the  foreign- 
bom  people  in  the  State,  had  omitted  to  mention 
the  large  Irish  element,  thirty-seven  Irish  clergy- 
men took  him  to  task  by  asking  whether  their 
religion  or  politics  or  both  were  a  barrier  to  recog- 
nition. Thousands  of  Irishmen,  they  declared, 
were  prosperous,  independent  farmers  in  a  State 
that  was  even  then  taking  the  lead  in  American 
agriculture.  The  clergy  directed  attention  to  the 
vast  land  holding  of  various  railroad  companies 
and  the  terms  on  which  immigrants  could  still  pur- 
chase farms ;  they  also  showed  the  rapid  spread  of 
Catholicism  in  Iowa  as  another  special  advantage, 
and  they  offered  to  supply  any  further  informa- 
tion on  the  subject  so  close  to  their  hearts.  In 
conclusion,  they  promised  to  appoint  an  agent  to 
represent  them  at  New  York  in  the  spring  /of 
1871.'' 

Immediately  after  his  appointment,  Edward  T. 
Edginton  left  Chariton,  Iowa:  he  arrived  in  Liver- 
pool on  August  18,  1870.  Here  he  at  once  opened 
an  office ;  but  owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  emigra- 
tion season  and  the  lack  of  printed  matter  adver- 


36  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

tising  Iowa  he  could  do  little  except  to  collect  the 
names  and  addresses  of  persons  who  intended  to 
emigrate  in  the-  coming  spring.  When  the  pam- 
phlets on  Iowa  did  arrive,  there  were  not  nearly 
enough  to  supply  all  applicants.  Mr.  Edginton 
had  a  list  of  two  thousand  agents  residing  in  all 
parts  of  the  British  Isles  whom  he  also  intended 
to  furnish  with  an  ample  number  of  the  State's 
booklets:  his  repeated  requests  for  more  and  also 
for  a  cheaper  document  for  wider  distribution 
were  not  complied  with  because  the  State  Board 
of  Immigration  had  too  little  money  at  its  disposal 
for  such  puriDoses. 

How  many  individuals  Mr.  Edginton  induced  to 
go  to  Iowa  by  his  distribution  of  six  thousand 
copies  of  the  pamphlet,  he  could  not  state,  as  most 
of  them  booked  their  passage  to  America  through 
local  passenger  agents;  but  he  distributed  pam- 
phlets and  information  to  all  who  were  interested 
in  Liverpool,  London,  Manchester,  Birmingham, 
Sheffield,  Leeds,  Lincoln,  Leicester,  Nottingham, 
Cheltenham,  Gloucester,  Hereford,  Bristol,  Neath, 
Swansea,  Glasgow,  Edinburgh,  Perth,  Dundee, 
Aberdeen,  Inverness,  Stirling,  and  other  cities." 
He  also  inserted  a  short  advertisement  in  a  lead- 
ing religious  paper  and  received  over  five  hundred 
letters  of  inquiry." 

In  the  report  of  his  activities  Mr.  Edginton 


ENCOURAGEMENT  OF  IMMIGRATION  37 

suggested  that  the  Iowa  legislature  make  more 
liberal  provision  not  only  for  printed  matter  but 
also  for  the  pajanent  of  agents  ''who  should  be 
constantly  employed  during  the  entire  year  in 
visiting  and  lecturing,  in  the  agricultural  districts, 
especially."  If  this  were  done,  he  had  no  doubt 
that  the  result  would  equal  if  not  surpass  the  most 
sanguine  expectations.  Judging  from  the  fact 
that  the  State  of  Iowa  jjaid  Edginton  $121.25  for 
freight,  postage,  and  wrappers  on  pamphlets  and 
$150  as  salarj^  during  his  seven  months  of  service 
abroad,  he  was  probably  one  of  the  agents  who 
had  been  employed  by  the  Board  of  Immigration 
to  serve  both  the  State  and  such  railroad 
companies  as  had  agreed  to  pay  most  of  their 
salaries.^'' 

■  The  second  State  Board  of  Immigration  ap- 
pointed for  the  years  1872  and  1873  also  sought  to 
reach  British  ears,  like  its  predecessor,  through 
Alexander  A.  Wise  at  London.''"  How  thoroughly 
he  did  his  work,  there  is  no  report  to  show.  Dur- 
ing the  next  six  years,  however,  the  State  of  Iowa 
did  practically  nothing  to  attract  settlers  to  its 
huge  imoccupied  areas. 

Despite  the  operations  of  railroad  and  other 
agencies  in  the  land  markets  at  home  and  abroad, 
men  like  Governor  John  H.  Gear  realized  that  the 
State  was  not  receiving  a  fair  share  of  the  im- 


38  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

migration  which  had  been  coming  to  the  West.  He 
informed  the  General  Assembly  that  American 
consuls  in  Great  Britain  and  Germany  had  notified 
him  that  there  would  be  a  very  large  emigration 
of  most  desirable  people  to  the  United  States  in 
1880.^^  Because  this  prediction  had  been  *' corrob- 
orated by  the  public  speeches  of  many  of  the  lead- 
ing English  statesmen,  and  by  utterances  of  the 
influential  press  in  discussing  the  agricultural  con- 
ditions of  their  country''  and  because  neighboring 
States  were  openly  bidding  for  such  settlers,  Gov- 
ernor Gear  urged  the  State  legislature  of  Iowa  to 
enter  *Hhe  race  for  empire".  Accordingly,  for  the 
last  time  in  the  history  of  the  State,  the  General 
Assembly  in  1880  appropriated  $5000  annually  for 
two  years,  $1200  being  designated  as  the  annual 
salary  of  a  commissioner,  the  remainder  to  be  ex- 
pended by  him  in  showing  *Ho  the  people  of  the 
United  States  the  natural  advantages  and  resourc- 
es of  the  state  of  Iowa."  George  D.  Perkins  of 
Sioux  City,  who  was  appointed  to  the  new  posi- 
tion, at  once  announced  that  according  to  his  in- 
terpretation of  the  law  no  part  of  the  funds  at  his 
disposal  could  be  spent  in  foreign  countries.^^ 

The  last  reminder  of  the  State's  undertaking  to 
lure  trans- Atlantic  emigrants  to  its  vacant  lands 
is  a  four-page  pamphlet  prepared  in  1881  by  J. 
Duehurst  Shuttleworth  of  45  Sunny  Road,  South- 


ENCOURAGEMENT  OF  IMMIGRATION  39 

port,  England,  who  gave  his  representations  added 
but  apparently  unauthorized  weight  by  signing 
himself  *' Commissioner  of  Immigration  for  the 
State  of  Iowa".  An  English  newspaper  contained 
the  following  editorial  mention  or  advertisement 
of  Iowa  and  its  self-styled  commissioner: 

The  State  of  Iowa  invites  the  attention  of  Emigrants 
to  the  following  facts:  It  is  the  first  State  in  the 
amount  of  Indian  Corn  grown,  in  the  number  of  pigs 
raised,  and  first  in  Wheat.  For  the  Dairy  Iowa  has 
no  equal;  at  the  World's  Exposition  in  Philadelphia 
bearing  off  gold  and  silver  medal  award  on  Butter; 
in  St.  Louis,  1878,  on  Cheese;  and  again  on  Butter 
at  the  International  Dairy  Fair,  New  York,  in  De- 
cember, 1879.  Iowa  lies  midway  between  Texas  south 
and  Canada  on  the  north,  and  in  belt  of  population, 
commerce  and  wealth.  Canada  exported,  in  1877, 
13,659,949  pounds  of  Butter,  and  produced  25,000,000 
bushels  of  ^\nieat;  Iowa,  the  same  year,  exported 
27,262,724  pounds  of  Butter  and  produced  54,500,000 
bushels  of  WTieat.  Ontario,  Canada,  had  in  1875  of 
Horses,  Cattle  and  Pigs,  9  to  the  square  mile.  The 
farmers  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  of  whom  a  large  number 
are  from  Great  Britain,  own  of  Horses,  Cattle  and 
Pigs,  5,236,482,  or  95  to  the  square  mile.  Of  the 
64,000,000  bushels  of  Corn  received  in  Chicago  last 
year,  29,709,340  bushels  were  from  Iowa.  By  the 
laws  of  Iowa,  any  British  subject,  whether  naturalized 
or  residing  in  the  United  States  or  not,  may  exercise 
all  the  rights  of  a  citizen  in  regard  to  buying,  holding 
or  the  transfer  of  property.^^ 


40  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

A  pamphlet  entitled  Iowa  Resources  and  In- 
dustries was  the  last  one  prepared  at  State  expense 
for  home  and  investment  seekers  and  was  pub- 
lished in  1885  by  J.  P.  Bushnell,  Commissioner  of 
Immigration,  with  the  endorsement  of  the  State 
Executive  Council.  Though  not  issued  for  circula- 
tion in  the  British  Isles,  it  undoubtedly  served  the 
general  purpose  of  keeping  Iowa  before  the  eyes 
of  English-speaking  people  everywhere.  The 
document  seems  to  have  been  intended  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  visitors  to  the  World's  Industrial  and 
Cotton  Centennial  Exposition  and  to  the  North, 
Central  and  South  American  Exposition  —  both 
held  at  New  Orleans.  Iowa  could  not  withhold  a 
suitable  display  on  both  these  occasions  because 
a  similar  participation  at  the  Philadelphia  Cen- 
tennial Exposition  in  1876  had  served  to  attract 
both  capital  and  immigrants  to  the  State.^* 

Meanwhile  the  railroad  companies  whose  trunk 
lines  had  been  pushed  westward  at  great  expense 
had  bent  every  energy  to  sell  the  thousands  of 
acres  of  public  domain  granted  to  them  by  a  gen- 
erous government:  so  long  as  these  lands  along 
their  right  of  ways  lay  townless  and  unimproved 
or  imused  for  agriculture  or  stock  raising,  the  rail- 
roads had  little  more  than  a  desert  to  tap.  By 
purchase  from  these  corporations  and  from  home- 
steaders and  preemptors,  land  companies  had  pro- 


ENCOURAGEMENT  OF  IMMIGRATION  41 

cured  titles  to  vast  bodies  of  land  adjacent  to  the 
railroads.  The  agents  of  the  railroads  and  the 
private  land  companies,  therefore,  left  no  stone 
unturned  to  unload  their  extensive  holdings  upon 
foreign  immigrants  and  land-seekers  from  the 
older  parts  of  the  United  States.  In  every  possible 
way  —  by  newspaper  advertising,  by  pamphlets, 
and  by  agents  in  foreign  lands  —  they  sought  to 
bring  settlers  to  the  territory  tributary  to  their 
newly-built  lines  across  lowa.^' 

How  much  these  private  agencies  exerted  them- 
selves to  persuade  Americans  and  Europeans  to 
purchase  land  in  the  State  of  Iowa  can  never  be 
known  until  their  books  and  records  have  been 
thoroughly  searched  for  information  of  that  char- 
acter. By  the  beginning  of  the  last  decade  of  the 
nineteenth  century  very  little  vacant  or  imsold 
land,  it  is  believed,  remained  in  the  hands  of  rail- 
road grantees  or  large  land  companies  in  Iowa. 


Ill 

BRITISH   ELEMENTS    IN   THE    POPULA- 
TION  OF   IOWA 

THE  IRISH 

Although  every  portion  of  the  British  Isles  had 
contributed  its  quota  of  emigrants  to  the  *'Eden 
of  American  agriculture",  Ireland  surpassed  the 
other  parts  of  the  United  Kingdom  owing  chiefly 
to  a  succession  of  famines.  Beginning  with  only 
4885  in  1850,  natives  of  the  Emerald  Isle  in  Iowa 
rapidly  increased  to  20,896  in  1856,  to  28,072  in 
1860,  to  40,124  in  1870,  and  reached  their  highest 
total  of  44,061  in  1880.  Although  these  Irish  im- 
migrants were  to  be  found  in  practically  all  the 
towTiships  of  all  the  counties  of  the  State,  they 
seem  to  have  been  attracted  chiefly  to  the  larger 
towns  such  as  Dubuque,  Clinton,  Davenport,  Bur- 
lington, Keokuk,  Des  Moines,  Cedar  Rapids,  and 
Council  Bluffs. 

A  list  of  the  counties  in  which  the  Irish  element 
attained  its  greatest  numerical  strength  in  1880 
may  be  taken  to  indicate  the  localities  to  which 
the  Irish  have  been  most  partial  in  their  choice 
of  homes.    These  counties,  together  with  the  num- 

42 


BRITISH  ELEMENTS  IN  POPULATION 


43 


ber   of   Irish-bom   residents,   may   be   listed   as 
follows :'« 


Dubuque 

3325 

Jackson 

946 

Delaware 

675 

Clinton 

2473 

Des  IMoines 

925 

Winneshiek 

673 

Scott 

1671 

Buchanan 

910 

Black  Hawk 

660 

Atj,amakee 

1550 

Linn 

894 

Fayette 

628 

Polk 

1466 

Monroe 

800 

Crawford 

559 

POTTAWAT.* 

1382 

AVebster 

784 

Howard 

547 

Lee 

1042 

Muscatine 

767 

Poweshikk 

531 

Jones 

962 

Iowa 

751 

Woodbury 

512 

Johnson 

952 

Wapello 

739 

Cedar 

472 

Clayton 

948 

Chickasaw 

701 

Union 

458 

*  Pottawattamie 

:. 

Later  census  enumerations  do  not  alter  the  fore- 
going list  appreciably,  although  in  1885  Greene 
County  appeared  with  560  Irish-bom  settlers,  all 
the  others  having  suffered  decreases  except  Polk, 
Pottawattamie,  and  Woodbury  where  the  growth 
of  Des  Moines,  Council  Bluffs,  and  Sioux  City 
account  for  a  considerable  increase. 

Since  1880  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Old  Erin 
resident  in  Iowa  have  shown  a  rapid  falling  off 
as  evidenced  by  the  following  statistics :  42,524  in 
1885,  33,006  in  1895,  22,578  in  1905,  14,299  in  1915, 
and  10,686  in  1920.  Death  has  thinned  the  ranks 
of  the  Irish  immigrants  of  half  a  century  ago,  and 
their  places  have  not  been  filled  by  fresh  recruits 
from  the  old  home-land;  but  their  children  and 
grandchildren    constitute    a    numerous    progeny, 


44  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Irish  Catholic  commmiities  being  fomid  in  most 
of  the  counties  of  the  State  to-day." 

THE  WELSH 

The  Welsh  contingent  in  lowa^s  foreign-bom 
population  has  always  been  relatively  small.  In 
1880  only.  3031  natives  of  Wales  were  reported  as 
residents  of  the  State,  being  grouped  with  the 
English  in  the  census  returns  for  counties.'*  In 
subsequent  j^ears  they  are  separately  reported  in 
the  records  as  follows:  3436  in  1885,  3439  in  1895, 
2621  in  1905,  2048  in  1915,  and  1753  in  1920.  Slight 
and  almost  negligible  as  their  number  was  in  com- 
parison with  the  Staters  total  population,  the 
Welsh  have  somewhat  clannishly  flocked  to  certain 
counties  as  is  shown  in  the  following  figures:'" 

WELSH  IMMIGRANTS  1885         1895         1905         1915 


Mahaska  County 

406 

442 

236 

157 

Lucas  County 

282 

49 

107 

68 

Iowa  County 

250 

214 

146 

111 

Montgomery  County 

200 

166 

95 

87 

Howard  County 

185 

151 

133 

88 

Louisa  County 

156 

164 

96 

69 

Johnson  Count v: 

144 

119 

77 

49 

Wapello  County 

138 

230 

170 

99 

Polk  County 

132 

153 

194 

237 

Jasper  County 

58 

125 

115 

125 

Monroe  County 

50 

319 

362 

256 

Appanoose  County 

11 

121 

49 

61 

Further  investigation  shows  that  in  several  of 


BRITISH  ELEMENTS  IN  POPULATION  45 

these  counties  Welshmen  congregated  in  certain 
neighborhoods,  as,  for  example,  in  Columbus  City 
and  Elm  Grove  townships  in  Louisa  County  where 
church  services  are  still  conducted  in  the  mother 
tongue ;  Des  Moines,  Garfield,  and  Harrison  town- 
ships and  the  towns  of  Beacon  and  Oskaloosa  in 
Mahaska  County;  the  towns  of  Cleveland  and 
Lucas  in  Lucas  Countj^  where  John  Llewelljni 
Lewis,  president  of  the  United  Mine  Workers  of 
America,  was  born  of  Welsh  parents  in  1880 ;  Hil- 
ton and  Troy  townships  and  Williamsburg  in  Iowa 
County;  Forest  City  in  Howard  County;  Union 
Township  in  Johnson  County;  Kirkville  and 
Ottumwa  in  Wapello  County;  Lincoln  Township 
with  the  village  of  Wales  in  Montgomery  County ; 
Des  Moines  in  Polk  County ;  Poweshiek  Township 
in  Jasper  County.''"  Most  of  the  Welsh  in  Iowa 
to-day  are  engaged  as  miners  in  the  coal  fields; 
but  wherever  they  are,  their  eisteddfods  or  annual 
singing  contests  and  their  cymanf  a  or  church  con- 
ventions have  survived  the  transplanting  of  these 
folk  from  their  tiny  fatherland.  The  Y  Drych,  a 
newspaper  published  at  Utica,  New  York,  has 
many  readers  among  the  Welshmen  of  Iowa. 

THE   CANADIANS 

Not  inconsiderable  has  been  the  flow  of  British- 
Americans,  chiefly  Canadians,  to  the  Iowa  country. 


46  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Census  totals  in  every  year  except  1915  ranked 
them  next  to  the  English-bom  inhabitants  of  the 
Hawkeye  State:  1756  in  1850,  6133  in  1856,  8313 
in  1860,  17,907  in  1870,  19,451  in  1880,  19,087  in 
1885,  17,882  in  1895, 14,306  in  1905, 10,980  in  1915, 
and  8929  in  1920.  Being  already  Americanized, 
in  the  sense  that  their  environment  in  Canada 
differed  very  little  from  that  in  the  United 
States,  they  could  easily  adapt  themselves  to  Iowa 
conditions:  consequently  these  newcomers  scat- 
tered to  every  nook  and  comer  of  the  State.  Tak- 
ing the  figures  for  1880  and  1885  as  a  criterion  and 
comparing  them  with  more  recent  returns,  Canadi- 
ans have  always  been  most  nimierous  in  the  follow- 
ing counties:" 


CANADIANS 

1880 

1885 

1880 

1885 

Clinton 

821 

617 

Fayette 

451 

330 

Pottawattamie 

555 

542 

Jackson 

427 

310 

Woodbury 

538 

956 

Linn 

408 

417 

Grundy 

533 

234 

Buchanan 

390 

247 

Winneshiek 

510 

401 

Cerro  Gordo 

377 

337 

Black  Hawk 

507 

419 

Marshall 

368 

373 

Floyd 

459 

391 

Polk 

353 

408 

Tama 

457 

263 

Butler 

349 

269 

Scott 

340 

247 

Cherokee 

321 

306 

Jones 

328 

220 

Delaware 

318 

252 

Plymouth 

326 

549 

Dubuqlt: 

314 

284 

Cedar  Rapids,  Clinton,  Council  Bluffs,  Daven- 
port, Des  Moines,  Dubuque,  Le  ^lars,  Fort  Dodge, 


BRITISH  ELEMENTS  IN  POPULATION  47 

and  Sioux  City  were  the  principal  British- Amer- 
ican centers  as  late  as  1895 ;  and  by  the  year  1915 
the  relative  distribution  in  the  counties  above 
named  had  not  appreciably  changed.**  It  is  in- 
teresting to  note  in  this  connection  that  as  cheap 
Iowa  lands  were  invaded  by  British  subjects  from 
the  region  north  of  the  Great  Lakes,  so  in  more 
recent  years  Canada's  agricultural  provinces  of 
Alberta  and  Saskatchewan  were  largely  occupied 
by  thousands  of  young  farmers  from  the  Hawk- 
eye  State.  Indeed,  to  that  exodus  was  chiefly  as- 
cribed the  decline  of  Iowa's  population  during  the 
first  decade  of  the  twentieth  century;  and  if  the 
facts  were  fully  known,  they  would  probably  show 
that  Canada  has  more  than  made  good  earlier 
losses  to  Iowa. 

THE  SCOTCH 

Although  the  stream  of  Irish  immigration'  be- 
gan to  diminish  in  volume  after  1880,  the  high- 
water  mark  of  Scotch  immigration  to  Iowa  was 
not  reached  until  five  years  later  as  shown  by  the 
following  figures:  712  in  1850,  2169  in  1856,  2895 
in  1860,  5248  in  1870,  6885  in  1880,  and  7993  in 
1885.  Where  the  natives  of  Scotland  settled  in 
Iowa  can  be  quite  accurately  determined  from  the 
census  returns  for  the  most  typical  years.  Like 
the  Irish  they  spread  to  all  the  ninety-nine  coun- 


48  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

ties,  but  consciously  or  unconsciously  they  favored 
a  few  as  will  be  seen  by  the  figures  in  the  table.*' 
SCOTCH  1880    1885  1880    1885 

Boone  303  379  Linn  181  218 

Tama  302  224  Poweshiek  169  146 

Pottawattamie  207  304  Keokuk  117  408 

Webster  188  203  Jasper  141  191 

Polk  185  215  Greene  96  166 

Scott  181  142  Dubuque  126  150 

Despite  the  fact  that  old  Scotch  settlers  have 
been  passing  away  in  the  past  three  decades,  the 
comparative  ranking  of  the  counties  was  about 
the  same  in  1915,  although  Monroe  and  Woodbury 
counties  had  received  considerable  accessions.  Al- 
ways rather  thinly  distributed  over  the  State,  the 
canny  Scots  have  nevertheless  gathered  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  in  such  towns  and  cities  as  Boonesboro, 
Moingona,  and  Ang-us,  Traer,  Des  Moines,  Daven- 
port, Council  Bluffs,  Dubuque,  What  Cheer,  and 
Sioux  City.**  What  Cheer  owes  its  name  to  the 
exclamation  of  a  Scotchman  when  he  discovered 
coal  in  the  neighborhood.  Like  their  Welsh 
countrymen,  many  have  worked  as  colliers  in  Iowa 
mines. 

THE  ENGLISH 

Although  the  number  of  English-bom  people 
reported  in  Iowa  in  any  census  year  never  equalled 


BRITISH  ELEMENTS  IN  POPULATION  49 

or  exceeded  that  of  the  Irish  until  1915  when  both 
elements  totaled  15,741  and  14,299  respectively, 
the  English  must  not  be  thought  to  have  made  a 
poor  showing  as  immigrants.  On  the  contrary, 
they  and  their  descendants  constitute  a  respectable 
portion  of  the  State's  population  at  the  present 
time.  The  crest  of  the  English  wave  struck  Iowa 
five  years  later  than  did  that  of  the  Irish,  as  may 
be  gathered  from  the  following  returns:  3785  in 
1850,  8942  in  1856,  11,522  in  1860,  16,660  in  1870, 
22,519  in  1880,  and  25,974  in  1885. 

These  immigrants  like  other  Britishers  settled 
most  thickly  in  certain  portions  of  the  State,  but 
this  result  was  not  necessarily  due  to  conscious 
selection  on  their  part.  In  1895  Des  Moines, 
Dubuque,  Sioux  City,  Council  Bluffs,  Davenport, 
Clinton,  What  Cheer,  Cedar  Rapids,  Burlington, 
Ottumwa,  Mystic,  Oskaloosa,  and  Le  Mars  led  in 
the  number  of  English-born  inhabitants,  thus  help- 
ing to  explain  the  totals  for  counties  in  earlier  and 
later  census  years  as  well.  In  1915  the  English- 
born  residents  of  Iowa  were  dwelling  in  much  the 
same  places  as  before,  except  that  several  coal- 
mining communities  had  come  to  be  prominent 
centers  since  1890.  Statistics  for  about  one-fourth 
of  the  counties  of  Iowa  for  the  census  years  of 
1880,  1885,  1895,  and  1915  show  that  in  most  local- 
ities there  has  been  a  marked  decrease  in  the  num- 


50  THE   BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

ber    of    English-bom    residents    in    Iowa.     The 
figures  are  as  follows:*" 

ENGLISH  IMMIGRANTS  1880        1885        1895        1915 


POTTAWATTAMTK    CoUNTY 

1121 

1157 

402 

Dubuque  County 

1062 

980 

478 

Clinton  County 

892 

833 

351 

Polk  County 

872 

1128 

1472 

Mahaska  County 

669 

725 

271 

Scott  County 

611 

490 

380 

Delaware  County 

583 

508 

109 

Lucas  County 

493 

516 

188 

Johnson  County 

484 

305 

133 

Des  Moines  County 

462 

420 

178 

Black  Hawk  County 

458 

437 

513 

Linn  County 

429 

479 

463 

Fayette  County 

412 

374 

186 

Plymouth  County 

365 

601 

204 

Boone  County 

331 

656 

250 

Keokuk  County 

178 

652 

137 

Woodbury  County 

230 

636 

845 

Greene  County 

280 

488 

124 

Monroe  County 

224 

174 

449 

560 

Jasper  County 

387 

365 

441 

365 

Butler  County 

278 

217 

182 

350 

Appanoose  County 

137 

219 

687 

331 

Wapello  County 

293 

352 

502 

321 

Cerro  Gordo  County 

335 

340 

376 

311 

DECREASE  OF  THE  BRITISH  ELEMENT 

Judging  from  State  and  Federal  census  totals, 
natives  of  Canada  and  Ireland  practically  ceased 
emigrating  to  Iowa  by  the  year  1880;  natives  of 


BRITISH  ELEMENTS  IN  POPULATION  51 

Scotland  and  England  by  the  year  1885;  and 
Welshmen  by  the  year  1895.  Since  then  their 
numbers  have  gradually  decreased:  death  has 
taken  its  toll  among  the  oldest  of  them  and  new- 
comers from  across  the  sea  have  not  arrived  in 
sufficient  force  to  keep  the  British  element  con- 
stant in  the  population  of  the  State.  How  rapidly 
the  pure  Scotch  and  English  strains  have  van- 
ished is  clear  from  the  records  which  show  that  the 
number  in  1920  was  only  about  half  that  in  1885: 
NATIONALITY  1885       1895       1905       1915       1920 

Scotch  7,993      7,037      5,693      4,947      3,967 

English  25,974    23,411     18,263    15,741    13,036 

TOTAL  BRITISH-BORN^  CONTRIBUTION  TO  IOWA      A 

How  many  Britishers  have  at  different  times 
found  homes  in  Iowa,  not  even  the  census  figures 
can  adequately  reveal.  Some  of  them  came  and 
died  in  the  State  before  the  census  enumerators 
could  record  their  presence;  some  resided  in  the 
State  a  few  years  and  moved  on  without  being 
counted  in  the  census  years.  A  rough  estimate  of 
the  British  contribution  to  Iowa  for  the  past 
eighty  years  may  be  based  on  the  combined  totals 
of  the  years  1885  and  1915  which  probably  repre- 
sent two  generations  of  foreign-bom  Irish,  Cana- 
dians, Welsh,  Scotch,  and  English :  approximately 
150,000   emigrants    from   the   British   Isles   and 


52  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

British  possessions  have  helped  to  swell  the  popu- 
lation of  the  State  at  various  times. 

In  conclusion  it  is  interesting  to  observe  how 
this  British  contribution  has  compared  with  other 
foreign-bom  elements  in  the  Iowa  musemn  of 
human  stocks  and  races.  It  is  a  mistake  to  assume 
that  because  the  Germans  and  the  Scandinavians 
have  loomed  large  in  the  bulk  of  European  immi- 
grants in  Iowa  during  the  past  thirty  years  they 
have  always  preponderated.  It  is  worth  noting 
that  all  census  returns  on  nativity  from  1850  to 
1880  show  that  the  combined  total  of  Irish,  Cana- 
dians, Welsh,  Scotch,  and  English  exceeded  that 
of  any  other  nationality.  Since  then,  however, 
German-bom  immigrants  have  easily  ranked  first 
in  number.  Moreover,  it  was  not  until  1905  that 
Swedes  and  Norwegians  stood  next  to  the  Ger- 
mans, Irish-bom  and  English-bom  inhabitants 
ranking  fourth  and  fifth.  Even  in  the  year  1915 
the  entire  British-bom  element  did  not  compare 
unfavorably  with  the  North  Europeans  as 
evidenced  in  the  following  figures :" 

Germans  88,450  English  15,741 

Swedes  25,683  Irish  14,299 

Norwegians  20,239  British  Americans  11,080 

Danes  18,955  Scotch  4,947 

The  clannishness  so  characteristic  of  German, 
Scandinavian,  Dutch,  and  Bohemian  settlements 


BRITISH  ELEMENTS  IN  POPULATION  53 

in  Iowa  has  not  been  duplicated  by  the  British- 
born  to  any  noticeable  extent :  the  latter  have  al- 
ways been  more  thinly  diffused  throughout  the 
State,*'  perhaps  because  the  language  difficulty 
never  seriously  differentiated  them  from  their 
English-speaking  American  neighbors.  The  prob- 
lem of  adjustment  and  adaptation  to  the  New 
World  quite  naturally  possessed  no  terrors  tor 
those  who  had  no  linguistic  handicap  to  overcome, 
whereas  in  the  case  of  all  other  foreigners  the 
same  difficulty  very  much  retarded  the  process  of 
Americanization.  Whether  Teutonic  peoples  have 
been  on  the  whole  a  more  welcome  addition  to  the 
body  politic  of  Iowa  than  the  British,  students 
of  ethnology  will  have  no  easy  task  to  prove.  How- 
ever that  may  be,  the  industrious  and  self-respect- 
ing descendants  of  all  foreign-bom  immigrants 
who  sought  and  found  a  livelihood  within  the 
borders  of  the  State  have  no  reason  to  lament  their 
lineage.  On  the  contrary,  their  foreign  ancestry 
should  spur  them  on  to  create  in  Iowa,  with  its 
wonderful  natural  resources,  a  State  and  a  society 
superior  to  any  that  their  trans-Atlantic  fore- 
fathers knew ;  for  after  all  the  real  wealth  of  every 
State  is  its  people. 


PART  II 

BRITISH  INVASION  OF  NORTHWESTERN 

IOWA 


55 


I 

THE  CLOSE  BROTHERS 

Only  once  in  the  history  of  the  University  of 
Cambridge  (England)  have  three  brothers  at- 
tained the  distinction  of  making  the  varsity  crew,** 
and  that  was  about  fifty  years  ago.  Eight  times 
they  rowed  against  Oxford  in  the  annual  races  on 
the  Thames.  These  celebrated  oarsmen,  two  of 
whom  were  presidents  of  the  Cambridge  Univer- 
sity Boat  Club,  were  John  Brooks  Close,  James 
Brooks  Close,  and  William  Brooks  Close.  A 
fourth  brother,  Frederick  Brooks  Close,  having 
elected  not  to  go  to  Cambridge,  joined  a  friend 
farming  in  the  backwoods  of  the  Alleghany  Moun- 
tains in  Virginia." 

FIRST  VISIT  TO  IOWA 

It  was  in  the  year  1876  that  William  B.  Close 
received  an  invitation  to  bring  to  the  United 
States  a  university  four  to  compete  in  the  cen- 
tennial regatta  at  Philadelphia.  He  persuaded 
some  Trinity  College  men  to  make  the  journey. 
Upon  their  arrival  in  America  in  August,  the 
visitors  were  given  quarters  in  the  middle  of  the 

57 


58  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Quaker  city  (not  in  the  country  as  the  Centennial 
Committee  had  promised),  with  the  result  that 
before  the  races  took  place  all  the  young  English- 
men came  down  with  malarial  fever,  and  con- 
sequently they  failed  to  make  much  of  a  showing. 
What  happened  then  may  be  told  in  Mr.  Close's 
o^vn  words: 

Nevertheless,  one  day  while  practising  and  rowing 
a  course,  I  found  my  slide  in  the  boat  became  very 
stiff.  I  completed  the  course  with  the  result  that  I 
bruised  myself  so  badly  that  I  could  not  sit  do^vn 
without  the  help  of  cushions.  The  crew  went  to  Cape 
May  for  a  week-end;  and  while  the  other  boys  were 
out  for  a  training  walk  on  Sunday  afternoon,  being 
unable  to  join  them  for  the  reason  above  stated,  I 
sat  down  on  a  vacant  chair  on  the  verandah  and 
entered  into  conversation  with  a  gentleman  who  I 
soon  found  out  came  from  Quincy,  Dlinois  —  Mr. 
Daniel  Paullin.  He  had  a  son  and  a  daughter  with 
him.  In  tke  course  of  conversation  on  that  day  and 
next  week-end  he  told  me  how  he  had  made  his  for- 
tune by  buying  lands  in  Illinois  in  the  early  sixties, 
which  had  growTi  very  much  more  valuable,  and  stated 
that  he  was  going  to  start  his  sons  in  Iowa  in  the 
same  way  as  the  same  opportunity  occurred.  He  in- 
vited me  to  go  West  to  pay  him  a  visit  at  Quincy, 
and  volunteered  to  lead  an  expedition  into  Western 
Iowa.  Accordingly,  when  I  had  recovered  from  this 
bad  attack  of  malaria  a  couple  of  months  after,  to- 
gether with  my  brother  Fred,  who  came  from  Virginia 
to  join  me,  we  made  our  way  to  Quincy,  Illinois,  and 


THE   CLOSE   BROTHERS  59 

shortly  afterwards  with  one  of  his  sons  we  went 
through  Des  Moines  to  some  of  the  western  counties, 
hired  a  buggy,  and  for  about  a  week  we  traveled  from 
village  to  village  taking  in  the  general  topography  of 
the  country.  On  my  return  to  Quincy  I  became  en- 
gaged to  Mr.  PauUin's  eldest  daughter."" 

THE  PURCHASE  OF  IOWA  LANDS 

Assured  by  Mr.  Paullin  that  the  West  offered 
stronger  inducements  to  a  young  man  than  any 
country  across  the  water,  the  brothers  returned 
eastward,  William  spending  the  winter  in  Eng- 
land; but  in  May,  1877,  they  were  out  in  Iowa 
again.  They  looked  carefully  into  the  subject  of 
land  investments  and  in  the  end  were  fully  con- 
vinced of  the  desirability  and  safety  of  putting 
part  of  their  capital  into  lands."  During  that 
year  they  also  studied  pioneer  farming  and  stock 
raising  in  all  their  aspects,  and  then  bought  nearly 
three  thousand  acres  at  $3.50  per  acre  in  the 
neighborhood  of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Ricketts 
in  Crawford  County."^^ 

This  purchase  of  land  proved  to  be  the  first  of 
a  long  series  in  northwestern  Iowa,  then  the  most 
sparsely  settled  portion  of  the  State.  Why  the 
young  men  chose  to  begin  operations  there  in 
preference  to  other  parts  of  the  New  World  was 
later  very  interestingly  set  forth  by  William  B. 
Close  in  an  English  periodical: 


60  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

When  I  left  Cambridge  several  years  ago  I  had 
already  made  up  my  mind  that  if  I  left  England  and 
engaged  in  stock  raising  and  farming  generally,  it 
was  to  the  North  American  continent  I  should  go. 
No  other  part  of  the  world,  it  seemed  to  me,  offered 
the  same  advantages ;  but  the  question  as  to  what  part 
of  that  continent  to  settle  in,  I  thought  it  best  to 
decide  after  1  had  taken  an  exploring  trip  through 
Canada  and  the  States. 

My  sympathies  naturally  inclined  me  towards  Can- 
ada, as  being  under  the  British  flag,  but  dismissing 
from  my  mind  all  thoughts  of  settling  in  a  country 
where  ''clearing"  has  to  be  done,  and  where  the  best 
portion  of  a  man's  life  is  spent  in  getting  his  farm 
fit  for  cultivation,  I  soon  found  that  for  stock  raising 
and  sheep  farming  Canada  could  not  compete  on 
equal  terms  with  those  States  and  territories  where 
winters  are  shorter,  and  where  maize  or  Indian  corn 
is  grown,  in  addition  to  swedes,  turnips,  peas,  &c.  Had 
I,  however,  intended  to  go  in  only  for  wheat  growing, 
I  should  undoubtedly  have  chosen  the  Red  River 
valley,  in  Manitoba,  but  as  I  was  more  bent  on  stock 
raising,  I  turned  my  back  on  Canada  and  went  to 
look  up  a  brother  who  had  a  small  stock  farm  in  the 
backwoods  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  in  Western 
Old  Virginia.  I  did  not  stay  long  there  —  good  lands 
were  scarce  and  dear  —  and  although  more  than  fifty 
miles  from  a  railroad,  were  held  at  £14  to  £16  per  acre. 

Nor  did  I  stay  long  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State. 
Virginia  is,  as  the  Yankees  would  say,  ''played  out," 
tobacco  has  exhausted  the  soil,  and  I  was  offered 
some  fine-looking  estates  with  large  trees  and  grand 


THE   CLOSE   BROTHERS  61 

old  mansions  at  a  much  less  rate  than  good  lands  in 
the  back  woods.  Also  I  formed  a  very  bad  opinion 
of  the  lower  class  of  population;  everywhere  I  went 
I  saw  far  too  much  loafing  about  at  the  saloon  doors, 
and  the  blacks  would  only  work  just  sufficiently  to 
keep  themselves  from  actual  starvation.  So,  with 
my  brother,  I  turned  towards  the  Western  i  States, 
passing  through  and  stopping  in  Pennsylvania,  where, 
again,  good  lands  are  very  highly  priced,  and  in 
Illinois,  which  was  too  settled  for  my  purpose.  At 
Quincy,  Illinois,  I  met  a  very  well-informed  American 
gentleman,  who  strongly  advised  me  to  visit  North- 
western Iowa,  and  informed  me  that  when  his  two 
sons  had  finished  their  education  at  Harvard  Univer- 
sity he  intended  to  settle  them  there.  On  our  way 
we  passed  through  the  State  of  Missouri,  a  magnifi- 
cent country,  but  cursed  with  a  most  wretched  and 
shiftless  population,  and  I  then  made  up  my  mind 
I  would  have  nothing  further  to  do  with  the  South 
with  its  ''low  whites  and  coloured  gentlemen."  The 
eastern  part  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska  we  liked  more 
than  any  country  we  had  yet  seen,  but  fever  and  ague 
we  found  too  prevalent  in  Kansas,  and  in  Nebraska 
water  was  not  as  plentiful  as  it  should  be  for  stock; 
wells  were  frequently  over  100  feet  in  depth. 

We  then  moved  into  North-Western  Iowa,  and  were 
at  once  enabled  to  endorse  the  favourable  opinion 
given  us  by  our  friend  in  Illinois.  After  a  long  and 
careful  investigation  we  made  up  our  minds  we  would 
not  spend  more  time  and  money  in  seeking  for  a 
better  region  for  stock  raising  and  sheep  farming, 
North-Western  Iowa  combining  it  seemed  to  us  every 


62  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

favourable  circumstance.  My  brother  at  once  resolved 
to  leave  Virginia,  and,  after  settling  matters  at  home, 
we  bought  lands  in  Crawford  County,  and  have  no 
hesitation  in  saying  that  neither  of  us  have  for  a 
moment  regretted  our  choice." 


n 

FARMING  THE  VIRGIN  LAND 

1878-1879 

After  taking  up  their  residence  at  Denison  the 
two  Close  brothers  at  once  divided  their  purchase 
into  quarter  section  tracts  and  let  contracts  for 
the  construction  of  buildings  and  the  breaking  of 
the  prairie  sod.  A  frame  house  of  the  simplest 
and  cheapest  design  was  erected  upon  each  of  the 
twenty  farms:  its  dimensions  were  sixteen  by 
twenty-two  feet  with  an  eight-foot  ceiling  in  the 
two  rooms  downstairs  and  four  and  a  half  foot 
side  walls  and  slanting  ceilings  in  two  rooms  up- 
stairs, painted  and  double-boarded  outside  and 
plastered  within,  "perfectly  wind  and  water  tight 
and  warm'',  all  at  a  cost  of  about  $250,  including 
labor."  The  bam  w^as  a  rough  affair,  and  the 
cost  of  such  an  improvement  besides  a  well  came 
to  about  $100.  *^ Breaking"  a  certain  portion  of 
each  farm  for  cultivation  was  done  by  contractors 
at  the  rate  of  $2.00  per  acre. 

Northwestern  Iowa  in  a  state  of  nature  com- 
mended itself  to  these  Englishmen  who  wanted 
quick  returns  because  they  were  not  compelled  to 

V  63 


64  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

spend  the  best  part  of  their  lives  **  cutting  down 
trees,  uprooting  stumps,  and  clearing  away  heavy 
logs'*  at  a  cost  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  dollars 
per  acre  as  in  a  timber  coimtry:  on  the  contrary, 
the  work  on  the  prairie  was  very  simple,  neces- 
sitating only  the  ploughing  of  the  sod  to  a  depth 
of  a  few  inches.  Thus,  it  was  said,  a  good  team 
of  three  horses  or  mules  and  a  sixteen  or  eighteen 
inch  plough  could  break  up  two  acres  of  prairie 
sod  a  day,  there  being  no  rocks,  stones,  roots,  or 
other  impediments  to  contend  with."  The  months 
of  May,  June,  and  part  of  July  —  the  breaking 
season  —  were  spent  turning  as  much  of  the  three 
thousand  acres  as  possible  in  order  that  the  sod 
might  rot  thoroughly  before  the  sowing  of  the  next 
year's  crops,  the  newly  broken  land  yielding  no 
returns  in  1878.  The  Closes  then  sublet  some  of 
their  farms  to  tenants  and  worked  some  directly 
on  their  own  account. 

As  landlords  in  Iowa  the  young  Englishmen  be- 
gan to  operate  on  a  principle  which  was  gradually 
perfected  during  the  next  half  dozen  years.  For 
the  enlightenment  of  landowners  in  England,  the 
following  description  of  their  system  of  letting 
farms  was  published  in  the  mother  country: 

"We  came  to  the  conclusion  that,  however  good 
theoretically  might  be  Dalrymple's"  system  of  farm- 
ing a  very  large  area,  it  would  not  pay  in  the  end  as 


FARMING  THE  VIRGIN  LAND  65 

well  as  letting  the  farms  to  the  renters  for  an  equal 
share  of  the  crop  —  i.  e.,  we  provide  the  tenant  with 
land  ready  for  cultivation,  a  small  but  good  house 
with  rough  stabling  or  sheds,  and  also  the  seed  for 
the  crops,  while  the  tenant  provides  everything  else 
—  labour,  machinery,  horses,  etc.,  and  puts  our  share 
of  the  crops  into  the  granary,  we  having  divided  the 
crop,  equally,  bushel  per  bushel,  as  it  comes  from  the 
thrashing-machine.  Our  agreements  with  the  tenants 
are  very  strict,  and  we  reserve  the  right  to  put  other 
labour  on  at  their  exclusive  charge  if  we  are  satisfied 
they  are  not  doing  their  work  in  a  proper  way.  By 
this  system  we  can  farm  a  very  large  area  with  a 
minimum  of  trouble,  and  are  thus  able  at  the  same 
time  to  turn  our  attention  to  stock  raising  and  sheep 
farming.  We  also  noticed  that  the  farmers,  as  a  class, 
w^ere  extraordinarily  careless  in  the  way  they  looked 
after  their  own  horses  and  machinery,  and  we  natural- 
ly thought  if  they  took  so  little  care  of  their  own 
property  that  they  would  take  still  less  care  of  ours, 
and  calculated  that  it  would  be  more  profitable  to  put 
into  an  increased  quantity  of  lands  the  large  amount 
of  capital  which  on  Dalrymple's  system  would  be 
needed  for  horses,  machinery,  and  perishable  property. 
Even  if  we  did  not  some  years  secure  as  large  an 
average  of  returns  as  Dalrymple,  we  should  be  amply 
compensated  by  the  greater  amount  of  lands  we  held, 
and  we  felt  confident  that  they  would  materially  rise 
in  value,  as  has  been  the  case,  and  we  also  calculated 
that  a  bad  year  such  as  1878,  when  wheat  was  struck 
mth  blight,  would  be  a  far  less  serious  matter  to  us. 
We  had  no  difficulty  whatever  in  finding  renters  on 


66  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

our  terms,  and  as  new  breaking  is  particularly  adapt- 
ed to  wheat,  we  had  by  far  the  greater  part  of  our 
land  sown  with  that  cereal.'^ 

The  Close  system  did  not  consist  merely  of  hold- 
ing virgin  land  on  the  chance  of  a  rise  in  value: 
on  the  contrary,  they  built  houses,  ploughed  the 
sod,  and  improved  their  property  so  as  to  make  it 
productive  of  income,  wherein  they  conceived  lay 
the  distinction  between  legitimate  business  and 
speculation  in  land/*  Tenants  met  the  rent  for 
wheat  lands  in  kind  on  the  half -share  principle; 
and  they  paid  an  average  of  $2.00  per  acre  for 
Indian  com  lands,  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  col- 
lecting it  in  kind.  Tenants  of  the  Close  farms 
were  thus  directly  interested  in  the  yield;  and 
when  the  harvest  of  1879  was  gathered  in,  the 
Close  brothers  published  the  following  statement 
of  the  expenses  and  receipts  of  an  average  farm 
—  namely,  "Soldier  Farm"  on  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  fourteen  in  Soldier  Township, 
Crawford  Coimty: 

Expenses  in  1878 

£  s.  d. 
Cost  of  160  acres  of  land  at  14s. 

[$3.50]  per  acre 112  0  0       [$560] 

Breaking  90  acres  at  8s.  [$2.00] 

per  acre 36  0  0       [$180] 

House,  stable,  and  well    ...      69  7  0       [$346.75] 


FARMING  THE  VIRGIN  LAND  67 

Seed 16    10      0      [$  82.50] 

Taxes  for  farm  and  buildings    .        3     12      0       [$  18.00] 
Total 237      9      0      [$1187.25] 

Receipts  in  1879 

The  yield  on  this  farm  from  90  acres  only  was  1,373 
bushels  of  wheat,  or  an  average  of  15^4  bushels  per  acre. 
Our  share  thus  amounts  to  686V2  bushels,  the  farmer  having 
received  a  like  amount.  By  the  last  advices  ....  we  could 
sell  the  wheat  at  the  granary  door  for  3s.  9d.  [93  cents]  per 
bushel;  thus: — 

6861/2  bushels  wheat  at  3s.  9d.  [93  cents]  per  bushel  .... 
£128  14s.  4i/2d.  [$638.45]  A  net  profit  to  us  of  54  per  cent 
on  the  capital  invested  .... 

Of  course  circumstances  make  this  year  an  exceptionally 
good  one,  but  taking  last  year's  prices  of  2s.  5d.  [60  cents] 
per  bushel,  the  lowest  it  has  ever  been  in  our  neighbourhood, 
the  net  profit  would  still  be  over  35  per  cent,  with  only  90 
acres  in  cultivation.'* 

The  year  1879  turned  out  to  be  a  very  good  one 
for  the  young  investors:  owing  to  the  failure  of 
crops  in  Europe,  high  prices  prevailed  in  America. 
In  the  illustrative  figures  quoted  above  no  account 
was  taken  of  deterioration,  but  that  was  more 
than  counterbalanced  by  the  increase  in  the  value 
of  the  farm.  At  the  same  time  more  of  the  prairie 
sod  on  each  farm  was  broken  in  1879  for  cultiva- 
tion in  1880. 


Ill 

THE  CLOSES  EXTEND  THEIR  HOLDINGS 

Having  embarked  upon  the  investment  of  capi- 
tal in  land  and  pleased  with  the  prospect  of  their 
operations,  the  two  Close  brothers  decided  to  ex- 
tend their  acreage;  indeed,  they  would  have  ex- 
panded their  holdings  in  Crawford  Coimty  if 
more  virgin  land  had  been  available  at  a  reason- 
able price.  FindiQg  the  best  areas  bought  up  in 
that  county,  they  turned  to  the  counties  farther 
north  where  they  were  informed  on  good  author- 
ity —  probably  Daniel  PauUin  —  one  of  the  finest 
and  most  fertile  portions  of  the  United  States  had 
been  fearfully  scourged  by  grasshoppers  and 
where  the  pioneers  were  then  offering  to  sell  their 
holdings  at  a  sacrifice.*" 

Without  waiting  to  see  how  the  balance  sheet 
would  stand  in  1879,  at  the  end  of  the  vear  1878 
the  Closes  authorized  their  purchasing  agent,  Mr. 
PauUin,  to  buy  the  Bloodgood  lands  in  Plymouth, 
Cherokee,  and  Woodbury  counties.  Accordingly, 
at  the  rate  of  $2.40  per  acre  they  obtained  16,080 
acres  of  the  most  perfect  land  in  Elkhom,  Port- 
land, and  Preston  townships  of  Plymouth  Coimty 

68 


CLOSES  EXTEND  THEIR  HOLDINGS  69 

—  an  event  which  a  Le  Mars  editor  greeted  with 
the  headline,  "Hail  Britannia!"  They  were  re- 
ported as  negotiating  for  50,000  acres  more,  and 
as  planning  to  make  Le  Mars  their  headquarters 
in  February,  1879.  A  large  niunber  of  English 
farmers  were  expected  to  occupy  at  least  one-half 
of  these  lands,  if  one  may  believe  the  newspaper 
story  which  ends  with  the  words  that  "not  only 
our  county  but  northwestern  Iowa  will  receive  an 
important  addition  of  sturdy,  thrifty,  well-to-do, 
law-abiding  immigrants  that  will  add  materially 
to  our  growth  and  prosperity."" 

Meanwhile  their  brothers,  John  and  James 
Close  —  who  were  in  England  engaged  ,in  the 
banking  business  of  an  uncle,  Sir  William  Cim- 
liffe  Brooks,  John  at  Manchester  and  James  at 
Blackburn  —  had  learned  of  the  probable  success 
of  the  venture.  Because  the  indoor  life  did  not 
suit  him  James  threw  up  his  position  and  joined 
the  boys  in  Iowa  in  time  to  join  in  the  purchase 
of  the  Bloodgood  lands.*^  John,  on  the  other 
hand,  having  a  wife  and  children,  resolved  to  stick 
to  his  job  in  England,  eventually  becoming  very 
wealthy;  but  he  furnished  the  three  brothers  in 
America  with  a  good  deal  of  money  to  invest  not 
only  for  himself  but  also  for  his  English  friends." 

It  is  clear  that  the  Close  brothers  were  con- 
vinced that  if  it  was  necessary  to  take  chances  in 


70  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

order  to  make  money  no  two  risks  were  in  the 
long  ran  better  than  those  which  had  never  failed 
man  since  the  world  began:  the  risk  of  the  fruits 
of  the  earth  and  the  risk  of  the  spread  of  popula- 
tion westward.  They  had  learned  the  lesson  that 
the  growing  of  grain  and  the  raising  of  live  stock 
in  America  were  still  in  their  infancy.  Even  in 
the  depth  of  the  commercial  depression  of  1877, 
**when  about  half  the  American  nation  was  going 
through  the  banki-uptcy  court,  and  when  people 
were  saying  the  future  of  trade  was  loss  and  not 
profit",  William  B.  Close  realized  *Hhat,  notwith- 
standing, the  farmers  of  America  as  a  class  were 
making  money.'*  A  few  years  before,  com  had 
been  burned  as  fuel  on  Mississippi  River  steam- 
boats and  wheat  had  been  left  to  rot  in  the  fields 
of  California  simply  because  the  cost  of  trans- 
portation to  places  where  grain  was  needed  was 
prohibitive. 

Eventually,  however,  according  to  a  well-in- 
formed English  observer,  **the  means  of-  trans- 
portation had  been  developed  to  an  extraordinary 
extent.  Railways  and  canals  had  been  made  far 
beyond  the  traffic  requirements  of  the  coimtry,  and 
when  in  the  depression  of  1874-8  there  was  less  to 
carry,  the  fiercest  competition  ensued  between  the 
companies.  Grain  was  at  one  time  carried  from 
Chicago  to  New  York,  1,000  miles,  for  10  cents 


CLOSES  EXTEND  THEIR  HOLDINGS  71 

per  100  lbs.,  or  less  than  a  fourth  of  the  price  that 
had  been  charged  a  few  years  before,  and  simul- 
taneously freights  across  the  Atlantic  were  re- 
duced from  10s.  to  5s  per  ton.  Of  course  most  of 
the  railway  companies  went  into  bankruptcy,  but 
the  discover}^  was  made  that  it  is  not  so  much  'the 
long  haul '  as  the  terminal  charges  which  constitute 
the  cost  of  transport;  and  the  eventual  consolida- 
tion of  rival  and  insolvent  systems,  together  with 
the  increased  tonnage  which  followed  the  re- 
duction of  rates,  confirmed  the  policy  of  cheap 
freights."" 

In  the  summer  of  1879  William  B.  Close  was 
reported  as  having  purchased  from  John  Blood- 
good  and  wife  and  Louise  Stanton,  widow,  $34,740 
worth  of  land  in  Pljrmouth,  Woodbury,  and  Chero- 
kee counties.  Another  Englishman,  R.  G-.  M. 
Graham,  also  invested  heavily  in  lands  in  this 
region."' 


IV 
HEADQUARTERS  AT  LE  MARS 

Le  Mars  became  the  headquarters  of  the  Close 
brothers  because  it  was  a  natural  gateway  to  the 
unoccupied  lands  of  the  neighboring  counties :  that 
virgin  region  became  the  scene  of  their  operations 
because  it  promised  the  most  excellent  returns  on 
their  investment  of  time  and  money.  Chicago,  the 
greatest  live  stock  and  produce  market  in  the 
world,  whose  prices  regulated  all  other  markets, 
was  accessible  by  reason  of  a  fair  network  of  rail- 
roads: the  Illinois  Central  in  Plymouth,  Wood- 
bury, and  Cherokee  counties;  the  Sioux  City  and 
St.  Paul  which  traversed  Plymouth,  Sioux, 
O'Brien,  and  Osceola  counties;  and  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  which  crossed  Sioux  and 
O'Brien  counties.  These  lines  made  marketing 
possible:  without  them  there  could  have  been  no 
promise  of  better  things  to  come. 

Le  Mars  was  founded  some  time  after  the  first 
inhabitants  made  settlements  in  Pljonouth  County. 
What  is  now  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  had 
been  extended  to  this  region  from  Iowa  Falls  on 
its  way  to  Sioux  City  in  1869.    With  the  railroad 

72 


HEADQUARTERS  AT  LE  MARS  73 

came  town-planners  from  the  East;  and  when  the 
St.  Paul  and  Sioux  City  Railroad  was  projected 
through  the  same  region,  Le  Mars  was  laid  out  at 
the  junction  of  the  two  routes  and  in  1873  was 
made  the  county  seat  in  place  of  Melbourne.  Thus, 
accessible  markets  to  the  south,  north,  and  east 
became  the  lodestone  to  attract  farmers  to  cheap 
lands  richly  endowed  by  nature  in  all  the  counties 
of  northwestern  Iowa.  Immigration  to  these  un- 
occupied lands  at  once  began  to  boom,  although 
the  grasshopper  plague  continued  unabated  sev- 
eral seasons  and  dampened  the  ardor  of  hundreds 
who  might  otherwise  have  joined  the  rush.  To 
prove  how  the  arrival  of  railroads  brought  people 
to  this  region  one  needs  only  to  note  the  increase 
of  population  during  the  first  ** railroad  decade" 
as  compared  with  previous  j^ears."" 

But  even  so,  in  view  of  these  fine  advantages 
coupled  with  the  natural  riches  of  soil  and  a 
healthful  climate,  it  is  surprising  that  northwest- 
em  Iowa  still  offered  such  a  vast  quantity  of  cheap 
land  and  claimed  so  comparatively  few  settlers. 
The  explanation  is  not  far  to  seek.  When  in  the 
year  1867  the  United  States  government  opened 
these  lands  "for  sale  and  preemption,  they 
were  eagerly  bought  up  by  speculators,  who  had 
heard  of  the  fame  of  this  region '^*^  These  specu- 
lators at  once  put  such  prices  on  their  lands  that 


74  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

the  poorest  class  of  settlers  passed  on  to  the 
cheaper  regions  farther  West;  and  for  seven  or 
eight  years  the  value  of  land  remained  almost 
stationary. 

It  was  because  a  few  of  the  speculators,  who 
usually  resided  in  eastern  cities,  were  hard  pressed 
for  ready  cash  that  the  Close  brothers  were  able 
to  get  some  very  good  bargains.  Furthermore,  an- 
other circumstance  played  into  their  hands:  the 
country  had  acquired  a  bad  name  from  the  ravag- 
ing visitations  of  grasshoppers  in  recent  years. 
The  latter  fact  did  not,  however,  discourage  the 
Closes  who  had  made  a  thorough  study  of  the  sit- 
uation and  felt  sure  that  the  grasshopper  pest  had 
pretty  nearly  run  its  course  in  this  region  as  it 
had  done  in  other  places:  ^* North-Western  Iowa 
being  no  longer  the  frontiers  of  the  settled  portion 
of  the  country,  these  incursions  are  becoming 
much  less  frequent,  and  when  the  grasshoppers  do 
come,  it  is  only  in  scattered  flights,  damaging  a 
wheat  field  here  and  there.  "^* 

Convinced  of  the  financial  soimdness  of  their 
imdertaking,  the  Closes  were  not  long  in  enlisting 
the  interest  and  capital  of  other  English  univer- 
sity and  public  school  men.  British  farmers  and 
small  capitalists  seem  to  have  been  in  considerable 
distress  at  that  time,  as  was  also  the  *' cadet"  who 
had  no  future  in  the  old  country.     The  idea  of 


HEADQUARTERS  AT  LE  MARS  75 

land-owning  in  America  and  the  ability  of  Amer- 
ica to  feed  the  world,  which  had  begun  to  work  a 
momentous  social  and  economic  change  in  Eng- 
land, now  offered  a  solution  of  the  English  country 
gentleman's  difficult  problem  —  ''how  to  recover 
his  rents,  and  provide  for  his  yoimger  sons."*^  A 
great  deal  of  correspondence  appeared  in  the  press 
on  the  question  "What  to  do  with  our  Boys?" 

William  B.  Close  saw  the  opportunity  and  lost 
no  time  in  acquainting  his  friends  in  England 
with  the  possibilities  of  the  new  country.  In 
November,  1879,  he  wrote  letters  which  appeared 
in  Land  and  Water,  the  newspapers  of  Manches- 
ter, and  The  Times  of  London,'"  setting  forth  the 
reasons  why  he  settled  in  northwestern  Iowa,  gen- 
eral information  about  the  State  of  Iowa,  the  ex- 
perience of  the  Closes  with  farming  in  its  different 
branches,  their  method  of  letting  farms,  and  a 
statement  of  the  expenses  and  returns  on  a  typical 
160  acre  farm.  So  interesting  and  valuable  are 
Mr.  Close's  letters  about  grain  growing,  cattle  and 
hog  raising,  and  sheep  farming  that  if  space  did 
not  forbid  they  would  be  worth  republishing  in 
this  connection.  Suffice  it  to  say,  the  writer  was 
so  well  known  in  England  as  a  Cambridge  oars- 
man that  his  reports  attracted  much  attention. 

In  December,  1879,  according  to  the  largest 
London  daily,"  the  Closes  owned  forty  160  acre 


76  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

wheat  farms  which  they  had  let  out  to  tenants, 
supplying  the  land  ready  for  cultivation,  a  house 
with  rough  sheds  for  stabling,  and  necessary  seed ; 
while  each  tenant  on  his  part  provided  labor, 
machinery,  and  everything  else.  The  crops  were 
to  be  divided  equally  between  tenant  and  owners. 
Mr.  Close  assured  Englishmen  that  his  first  year's 
returns  on  wheat  presented  a  strong  contrast  to 
those  he  got  from  the  farms  he  owned  in  England ; 
and  he  summed  up  the  relative  merits  of  different 
sections  of  the  western  country  in  these  words: 
*' Those  who  wish  to  go  and  raise  wheat  should  go 
to  Minnesota  and  Manitoba;  those  who  prefer 
stock-raising,  to  the  warmer  countries  south  and 
where  maize  is  grown,  viz.,  Iowa,  Nebraska, 
Kansas''. 


V 

A  PAMPHLET  ON  FARMING  IN  IOWA 

William  B.  Close's  marriage  to  Miss  Mary 
PauUin  in  New  York  City  took  place  about  the 
same  time  that  his  letters  were  rimning  in  the 
English  press."  The  newly  wedded  couple  went 
to  England  for  their  honeymoon.  After  their 
arrival  Mr.  Close  for  several  months  spent  much 
time  in  conferences  with  his  fellow  countrymen  on 
the  subject  of  northwestern  Iowa;  and  he  was 
flooded  with  thousands  of  letters  asking  for  fur- 
ther information.  His  own  letters  had  opened  the 
eyes  of  English  landowners  who  could  not  squeeze 
more  than  three  per  cent  out  of  their  property. 

At  38  Comhill,  London,  and  90  King  Street, 
Manchester,  the  recently  organized  firm  of  Close 
Brothers  and  Company  set  up  offices  where  Mr. 
Close  met  or  wrote  to  interested  persons  daily  and 
encouraged  emigration  to  the  Iowa  **  colony  ".^^ 
To  furnish  full  particulars  he  prepared  a  pamph- 
let on  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  of  which 
several  thousand  copies  were  printed  for  distribu- 
tion in  January  and  February,  1880. 

Prospective  emigrants  were  informed  as  to  the 

77 


78  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

best  steamship  and  railroad  lines  with  which  the 
Close  brothers  had  arranged  special  rates;  and 
they  were  advised  on  how  to  render  the  voyage  as 
easy  and  inexpensive  as  possible  and  how  to  fit 
themselves  out  so  as  to  save  much  useless  expense 
and  trouble.  The  actual  fare  to  Le  Mars  in  such 
cases  was  represented  to  be  under  $55  for  travel 
by  steerage  and  emigrant  trains,  imder  $65  by 
intermediate,  and  from  $75  to  $95  by  saloon  and 
first-class  trains  —  children  imder  twelve  going 
for  half  price  and  free  under  one.  The  cost  of 
living  and  personal  expenses  of  the  twelve  or 
fourteen  days'  journey  from  Liverpool  to  Le  Mars 
generally  came  to  $15  or  $20  extra. 

English  emigrants  were  urged  to  allow  for 
plenty  of  time  at  Le  Mars  in  order  that  they  might 
look  about  and  thoroughly  satisfy  themselves  that 
the  country  suited  them  before  buying  farms. 
Then,  too,  it  would  take  some  time  to  get  all  things 
in  readiness  for  breaking  and  ploughing  in  April. 
Those  who  did  not  mind  cold  would  lose  nothing 
by  going  early  and  gaining  experience;  but  those 
who  were  unable  to  go  out  before  the  breaking 
season  opened  could  nevertheless  buy  land  and 
have  it  improved  through  the  Close  firm,  thus 
sa^dng  a  whole  year.'* 

As  owners  of  cattle,  sheep,  and  grain  farms,  the 
Closes  had  acquired  considerable  knowledge  of  the 


PAMPHLET  ON  FAKMING  IN  IOWA  79 

new  country,  of  the  people,  and  of  farming  in 
general:  this  experience  they  now  placed  at  the 
disposal  of  Englishmen  who  had  some  capital.  The 
firm  annoimced  its  intention  to  establish  *'a  colony 
of  English  people  of  the  better  class,  and  thus 
combine  Western  farming  with  some  English 
society^':  artisans  or  mechanics  were  not  urged 
to  emigrate  unless  they  were  able  and  willing  to 
combine  farming  with  their  other  occupations  in 
what  was  a  purely  agricultural  district ;  and  labor- 
ers without  means  were  not  encouraged  to  emi- 
grate unless  they  had  friends  in  America  to  give 
them  emplojTuent  immediatly '  on  arrival,  other- 
wise they  would  be  worse  off  in  the  United  States 
than  in  England." 

Thus  the  Close  brothers  made  their  strongest 
appeal  to  men  with  sufficient  capital  to  be  able  to 
start  good  stock  farms  because  stock  farming  was 
the  thing  for  w^hich  northwestern  Iowa  was  best 
adapted.  They  addressed  themselves  particularly 
to  practical  farmers  who  could  emigrate  and  need 
lose  no  time  in  purchasing  their  farms  and  setting 
to  work.    To  quote  further  from  their  pamphlet: 

An  inexperienced  man  should  not  invest  his  money 
at  once,  but  should  board  and  lodge  on  some  farm 
for  at  least  a  year.  The  more  a  man  brings  the  quick- 
er and  greater  will  be  the  returns.  £500  will  enable 
a  man  to  buy  and  equip  a  farm  of  160  acres  for  grow- 


80  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

ing  grain,  but  will  leave  scarcely  any  margin  for  the 
purchase  of  stock.  To  succeed,  settlers,  unless  pro- 
vided with  ample  means,  must  begin  by  roughing  it 
somewhat  and  do  all  the  work  themselves,  employing 
as  little  labour  as  possible,  either  out-door  or  in-door. 
We  wish  to  impress  upon  them  the  fact  that  they  must 
make  up  their  minds  to  hard  work,  probably  harder 
than  they  have  ever  done  before,  but  at  the  same  time 
work  of  which  they  will  directly  reap  the  full  return. 
Women  and  children  must  also  help  to  keep  dowTi  ex- 
penses by  doing  the  house  work,  and  looking  after  the 
dairy,  poultry,  &c. 

For  a  man  who  is  used  to  good  living  in  England, 
and  to  a  sedentary  life,  unaccustomed  to  roughing  it, 
and  inexperienced  in  farming,  we  consider  £1,000  is 
not  too  much  to  bring  out.  Our  experience  is  that, 
however  willing  he  may  be  to  rough  it  and  save  ex- 
penses, it  takes  time  for  him  to  work  as  a  labourer, 
and  thus  save  as  much  as  possible  each  year  to  re- 
invest. Indeed  it  is  the  capital  invested  in  live-stock 
over  and  above  the  first  £500  (which  is  tied  up  in 
lands,  buildings,  &c.)  that  enables  a  man  rapidly  to 
increase  his  capital." 

It  is  not  clear  whether  the  Closes  had  organized 
a  partnership  in  England  before  they  invested  in 
Iowa  lands;  but  a  newspaper  reporter  who  inter- 
viewed James  B.  Close  is  authority  for  the  infor- 
mation that  when  the  brothers  made  their  first 
appearance  in  Le  Mars  in  1878  they  "organized 
as  a  branch  of  the  London  house,  making  a  daily 
exchange  and  brokerage  business  between  England 


PAMPHLET  ON  FARMING  IN  IOWA  81 

and  America"."  Regardless  of  the  date  and  man- 
ner of  its  origin,  the  new  partnership  very  early 
took  in  Constantine  W.  Benson,  another  well- 
known  Cambridge  oarsman.  The  firm  at  once  ad- 
vertised its  general  purpose  to  promote  the  estab- 
lishment of  an  English  commmiity  among  the 
American  inhabitants  of  Plymouth  County.  Fur- 
thermore, the  firm  announced  that  it  w^ould  trans- 
act a  general  land  business:  it  would  not  sell  the 
Close  farms  to  settlers  or  investors,  nor  was  it 
interested  in  selling  the  lands  of  any  particular 
persons  or  companies.  On  the  price  of  Iowa  lands, 
the  firm's  statement  was  as  follows: 

The  price  of  lands  varies  according  to  its  quality 
and  contiguity  to  railroads.  We  have  lists  of  first 
class  lands,  within  eight  or  ten  miles  of  railway  sta- 
tions, that  can  yet  be  bought,  cash  down,  for  15s.  tq 
£1  per  statute  acre  in  tracts  of  80  to  160  acres,  and 
suitable  in  all  respects  for  stock  or  grain  farms;  but 
if  two  or  three  thousand  acres  are  bought  in  the  same 
purchase  the  price  would  not  be  more  than  12s.  to  14s. 
per  acre,  cash  down.  We  generally  buy  lands  from 
non-residents,  and  have  travelled  even  as  far  as  New 
York,  1,500  miles,  to  settle  a  bargain  when  we  thought 
it  was  a  good  one.  In  this  way  we  constantly  hear  of 
lands  for  sale  25  per  cent  cheaper  than  the  lands 
offered  us  by  the  railroad  companies,  who  can  afford 
to  hold  their  lands.^* 

The  Close  firm  also  acted  as  an  agent  for  lend- 


82  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

ing  money  at  eight  per  cent  on  the  security  of  first 
mortgages  on  improved  farms,  no  loan  exceeding 
twenty-five  per  cent  of  the  value  of  a  farm.  In 
preference  to  investing  capital  in  mortgages,  how- 
ever, the  firm  recommended  investments  in  lands ; 
for  besides  ''getting  a  good  yearly  return,  which 
depends  as  much  on  the  crops  as  does  the  interest 
from  loans,  there  is  the  profit  from  the  rise  in  the 
value  of  the  lands."  Accordingly,  the  Closes 
undertook  to  act  as  agents  for  English  investors 
who  could  not  go  out  to  Iowa:  they  offered  not 
only  to  buy  lands  for  such  persons,  but  also  to 
improve  them,  obtain  tenants,  and  give  them  the 
same  attention  as  their  own  farms.  Owing  to  the 
fact  that  lands  were  rapidly  being  taken  up  and 
steadily  rising  in  value  due  to  renewed  immigra- 
tion, the  firm  asserted  that  "no  combination  of 
circumstances  could  make  it  a  better  time  to  in- 
vest", and  prophesied  that  in  a  very  few  years  the 
prices  of  lands  in  the  superior  agricultural  region 
of  the  Missouri  water-shed  would  nearly  equal 
those  in  the  older  portions  of  the  State.^* 

Another  object  of  the  Close  firm  was  to  serve 
prospective  emigrants  as  agents  and  help  them  on 
arrival  in  Iowa.  Those  who  wished  to  join  the 
** Close  Colony",  as  it  came  to  be  called,  were 
offered  the  following  advantages: 

Should  the  inquirer  place  himself  under  the  guid- 


PAMPHLET  ON  FARMING  IN  IOWA  83 

ance  of  our  firm,  he  will  be  shown  immediately  on  his 
arrival  at  Le  Mars  lists  of  the  best  and  cheapest 
lands  from  which  to  select  a  desirable  farm,  thus 
avoiding  the  useless  expense  of  hotels,  and  the  waste 
of  time  and  money  occasioned  by  travelling  about  the 
country.  We  have  also  arranged  with  a  number  of 
farmers  in  our  neighborhood,  with  any  of  whom  a 
new-comer,  by  paying  for  board  and  lodging  to  the 
amount  of  twelve  to  fourteen  shillings  a  week,  could 
stay  until  he  had  made  up  his  mind  whether  the 
country  and  mode  of  life  would  suit  him  or  not.  Or, 
if  he  should  be  totally  inexperienced,  we  would  help 
him  to  find  a  stock  farm,  where,  if  he  makes  himself 
sufficiently  useful,  he  will  be  boarded  and  lodged  in 
exchange  for  his  work,  and  in  time  perhaps  get 
wages;  thus  he  could,  before  laying  out  his  money, 
get  a  practical  insight  into  farming,  although  for  this 
he  must  make  up  his  mind  to  a  good  deal  of  roughing 
it.  Until  sufficiently  experienced  he  could  always 
come  to  the  firm  for  advice  and  guidance.  Should  the 
settler  (in  any  of  the  above  cases)  decide  on  buying 
any  of  the  lands  he  sees,  we  will  help  him  to  buy  them 
at  the  lowest  price,  look  to  the  title  —  a  most  import- 
ant item,  and  one  that  requires  considerable  experience 
(it  being  a  frequent  practice  throughout  the  United 
States  and  Canada  to  sell  lands  to  settlers  with  bad 
titles)  — and  see  that  the  deed  is  made  out  correctly, 
and  properly  recorded.  Then,  after  the  land  is  bought, 
we  advise  him  as  to  the  building  of  the  house  and  the 
sheds;  also  show  him  how  to  superintend  the  *' break- 
ing," or  first  ploughing  of  the  land,  which  requires 
considerable  care  (bad  *' breaking"  showing  its  effect 


84  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

for  several  years  afterwards) ;  and  generally  look 
after  the  new-comer's  interests  until  he  is  fully  settled 
on  his  farm.*" 

The  Close  firm  undertook  to  make  the  best  bar- 
gains possible  for  all  those  who  had  dealings  with 
it.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  raw  young  Englishmen 
found  it  difficult  to  deal  ''with  the  natives  of  a 
country  where  everything  has  its  price",  and 
owing  to  the  further  fact  that  ''to  buy  land  from 
an  Iowa  agent,  or  stock  from  a  Minnesota  farmer, . 
and  not  get  the  worst  of  the  bargain,  requires  a 
peculiarly  level  head,  and  a  fool  and  his  money 
are  parted  at  least  as  easily  as  in  the  old  comitry", 
the  Closes  worked  out  a  system  of  cooperation  to 
which  they  called  particular  attention:  having 
dealt  far  more  extensively  in  lands  than  anyone 
else  in  the  coimtry  and  being  always  advised  when 
cheap  land  w^as  on  the  market,  the  firm  could  buy 
land  three  to  four  shillings  an  acre  cheaper  than 
the  local  agents,  and  by  buying  land  for  several 
English  purchasers  at  the  same  time,  ,the  firm 
could  make  still  further  savings. 

The  Closes  could,  moreover,  obtain  wholesale 
rates  from  large  lumber  firms  who  shipped  direct, 
so  that  English  settlers  were  enabled  to  effect  a 
great  saving  on  the  cost  of  constructing  houses 
and  bams;  and  if  the  improvements  on  a  large 
number  of  newly  purchased  farms  were  covered 


PAMPHLET  ON  FARMING  IN  IOWA  85 

in  the  same  contract,  the  firm  could  build  fully 
one-third  cheaper  than  the  local  agents  and  car- 
penters. Finally,  the  Closes  were  in  a  position  to 
obtain  machinery,  implements,  stoves,  furniture, 
and  other  articles  from  the  manufacturers  at 
wholesale  prices. 

For  all  these  services  in  the  immigrant's  behalf, 
thus  saving  him  a  large  sum  in  actual  expenses 
besides  preventing  him  from  falling  into  the  hands 
of  unscrupulous  agents,  the  Close  firm  charged  a 
commission  of  $250,  or  five  per  cent  on  the  mini- 
mum sum  of  $5000  which  the  firm  required  "those 
to  have  who  wish  to  form  part  of  the  colony,  which 
includes  the  commission  on  purchase  of  land  up  to 
160  acres '',  and  other  items  of  expense  enumerated 
above.  If  more  than  160  acres  were  wanted  by 
anyone,  a  further  commission  of  five  per  cent  was 
charged.  The  firm  also  required  a  deposit  of  $125 
before  the  emigrant  left  England,  but  if  on  arrival 
in  Iowa  he  was  dissatisfied  with  the  country  and 
left  within  one  month  without  purchasing  land, 
the  deposit  was  returned  —  otherwise  the  settler 
was  required  to  pay  the  balance  when  he /pur- 
chased his  farm." 

In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  note  that 
the  Closes  offered  to  take  some  pupils  on  their 
own  stock  farms  ''at  a  fixed  premium"  because  it 
was  "desirable  for  those  who  have  sufficient  capi- 


86  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

tal  to  start  a  large  stock  farm  to  learn  thoroughly 
how  to  lay  out  their  money  before  they  actually  do 
so,  and  avoid  many  of  the  mistakes  which  new 
comers  are  apt  to  fall  into."" 


VI 

IOWA  MADE  ATTRACTIVE  TO 
ENGLISHMEN 

To  the  small  capitalist  class  of  England,  the 
Closes  made  Iowa  as  attractive  as  possible.  They 
were  careful  to  point  out  that  but  little  over  one- 
third  of  the  State  was  under  cultivation,  although 
ninety-five  per  cent  of  its  total  area  was  tillable; 
that  it  had  a  healthful  climate,  a  fertile  soil,  and 
an  abundance  of  pure  springs  and  running  brooks ; 
that  it  was  the  first  State  of  the  Union  in  the  pro- 
duction of  wheat  and  hogs,  second  in.  com,  third 
in  barley,  fifth  in  the  number  of  milch  cows,  and 
second  to  none  in  dairying;  and  lastly  that  Iowa 
had  no  Indians  or  negroes,  but  a  thoroughly  settled 
and  orderly  people  who  never  carried  or  wanted 
''fire-arms,  revolvers,  bowie-knives,  and  such  play- 
things". The  possible  objection  that  Iowa  w^as  a 
frontier  wilderness  was  answ^ered  in  this  wise : 

Emigrants  to  Iowa  must  not  imagine  they  are  go- 
ing beyond  civilisation.  They  will  find  the  habits 
and  customs  of  the  people  in  Iowa  in  a  great  measure 
similar  to  those  in  England,  and  will  not  be  called 
upon  to  abandon  their  ordinary  comforts  and  con- 

87 


88  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

veniences  or  to  encounter  the  hardships  and  privations 
of  a  frontier  life.  Pioneering,  the  forerunner  of  per- 
manent improvements,  has  gone  beyond  Iowa,  and  is 
now  only  to  be  found  in  Western  Kansas,  Nebraska, 
Texas,  New  Mexico,  Colorado,  and  other  newer  por- 
tions of  the  great  continent  of  America.  In  Iowa  are 
orchards  and  vineyards,  planted  years  ago,  and  the 
whole  country  is  well  supplied  with  roads,  bridges, 
mills,  shops,  stores,  and  hotels,  as  also  with  churches, 
colleges,  and  schools.  And  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
get  more  than  twenty  miles  from  a  railroad.*^ 

The  physical  geography  of  Iowa  in  general,  a 
brief  description  of  Plymouth,  Woodbury,  Chero- 
kee, and  Sioux  counties,  the  weather  and  rainfall, 
and  the  extremely  rich  and  easily  cultivated  soil 
were  truthfully  presented  to  prospective  settlers. 
The  silicious  marl  or  bluff  deposit  of  northwestern 
Iowa,  declared  to  have  originated  as  an  accumula- 
tion of  sediment  in  an  ancient  lake  which  was 
afterwards  drained  and  closely  resembling  the 
loess  deposit  of  the  Rhine  Valley,  was  alleged  to 
be  superior  in  quality  to  the  black  loam  of  the 
counties  which  drained  toward  the  Mississippi. 
The  soil  of  the  Missouri  slope  was  alleged  to  com- 
bine "perfect  natural  drainage  with  a  surface 
accumulation  of  from  two  to  six  feet  of  decayed 
vegetable  growth  for  manure.''" 

Englishmen  who  were  interested  in  sheep  rais- 
ing were  advised  of  the  special  advantages  of  the 


IOWA  MADE  ATTRACTIVE  89 

cheap  bluff  lands  overlooking  the  Missouri  and  the 
Big  Sioux  rivers,  with  hillsides  ''clothed  with  the 
most  excellent  grasses,  even  to  the  summits",  re- 
sembling in  general  the  celebrated  "Downs"  of 
England.^^  Here  sheep  could  be  raised  at  an  in- 
considerable cost. 

Settlers  in  northwestern  Iowa  w^ere  assured  of 
a  good  supply  of  wood  and  coal  from  Iowa  fields. 
It  was  pointed  out  also  that  educational  advan- 
tages were  abundant,  while  the  burden  of  local  and 
State  taxation  was  not  heavy.  There  were  assur- 
ances of  excellent  highways,  *'as  the  prairie  makes 
admirable  roads  and  the  streams  are  easily 
bridged";  of  "plenty  of  good  doctors  in  the  towns, 
and  no  want  of  doctors  in  the  country,  who  com- 
bine farming  with  their  profession,  and  who 
would  be  useful  in  an  emergency  and  until  more 
experienced  aid  was  procured";  of  a  demand  for 
good,  industrious,  and  intelligent  girls  who  "are 
looked  upon  more  in  the  light  of  helps  than  ser- 
vants"; of  capital  small  game  shooting  —  any 
quantity  of  prairie  hens,  snipe,  woodcock,  and 
American  quail  —  and  splendid  wild  duck  and 
goose  shooting  in  the  autumn  and  spring,  with  a 
few  deer ;  and  of  streams  and  lakes,  especially  near 
the  Minnesota  boundary,  "full  of  an  extraordi- 
nary number  and  variety  of  fish,  of  wall-eyed  pike, 
cat-fish,  and  bass".    Such  were  the  colors  which 


90  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

were  used  to  make  the  picture  of  northwestern 
Iowa  attractive  to  Englishmen/"  These  accounts 
aroused  the  interest  of  many  English  farmers. 

While  the  Closes  gave  Englishmen  no  flattering 
description  of  western  farming  methods,  they  did 
convey  an  idea  of  what  good  farming  promised  in 
the  following  terms : 

Farming  in  the  newer  portions  of  the  Western 
States  is  generally  carried  on  in  the  roughest  and 
rudest  way,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  best  machinery 
is  used  for  everything.  Except  among  the  very  best 
class  of  farmers,  no  one  thinks  of  utilising  waste 
which  is  burnt  on  the  prairie,  or  of  manuring  their 
lands;  and  when  the  manure  heap  gets  so  large  as 
to  be  in  the  viajy  the  stables  or  sheds  are  pulled  down, 
and  put  up  in  a  fresh  place.  There  is  not  much  science 
in  Western  farming,  but  good  farming  always  pays; 
and  an  Englishman,  who  knows  how  to  combine  some 
of  his  old  country  farming  with  the  best  points  of 
American  farming,  will  easily  double  the  average 
yield,  and  must  turn  out  a  successful  man.*^ 

Many  prospectuses  of  agricultural  schemes  in 
foreign  lands  seem  to  have  been  circulating  in 
England  in  the  year  1880,  each  vamiting  its  own 
locality  and  offering  a  golden  road  to  distressed 
British  farmers,  small  capitalists,  and  cadets. 
This  fact  led  one  English  writer  to  call  it  *'a  sort 
of  beggar-my-neighbour  game  of  fortune-making", 
and  the  wonder  was  how  there  could  be  so  manv 


IOWA  MADE  ATTRACTIVE  91 

Paradises  and  how  Englishmen  had  been  left  "so 
long  in  benighted  ignorance  of  them. '  '^* 

The  Close  brothers,  however,  did  not  hesitate  to 
point  out  the  drawbacks  of  the  new  country  which 
they  were  promoting.  They  made  it  clear  that 
every  new  settlement  had  its  difficulties:  w^heat 
growing  in  Iowa  had  suffered  from  grasshoppers 
and  sometimes  from  blight;  and  stock  raising 
necessitated  winter  feeding,  a  fact  which  in  their 
judgment  was  more  than  offset  by  "our  entire 
inmimiity  from  droughts,  the  cheapness  and  abun- 
dance of  grain  and  hay,  our  nearness  to  market, 
and  the  superior  condition  of  grain-fed  cattle  to 
grass-fed  on  arrival  at  their  destination  after  a 
long  journey."  Cold  weather  might  also  be  con- 
sidered a  drawback ;  but  even  that  was  not  minded, 
except  for  an  occasional  blizzard,  because  it  was 
a  dry  cold,  just  as  the  extreme  heat  in  summer  was 
a  dry  heat  and  not  oppressive.  Furthermore,  "the 
lack  of  society,  which  is  inevitable  to  a  new  colony, 
and  which  the  first  ladies  who  went  out  have  felt 
a  little,  is  being  rapidly  obviated  by  the  class  and 
the  number  of  the  people  going  out";  and  as  for 
the  want  of  trained  servants,  one  of  the  best  so- 
cieties in  Scotland  for  training  young  girls  had 
offered  to  supply  good  families  going  to  north- 
western lowa.^^ 

That  the  picture  was  not  more  alluring  than  the 


92  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

facts  warranted  was  adequately  attested  by  Eng- 
lishmen who  had  gone  to  Iowa  and  had  already 
had  sufficient  time  to  make  up  their  minds  about 
the  country.  One  gentleman  who  had  lived  in 
Iowa  several  years  and  spent  many  more  in  other 
parts  of  America  and  Canada  w^rote  that  he  did 
not  know  of  a  single  foreign  settler  who  regretted 
coming  to  Iowa;  nor  was  he  acquainted  with  any 
part  of  America  which  presented  such  great  ad- 
vantages as  did  Iowa  for  stock  raising  and  sheep 
farming. 

After  eight  months*  residence,  Robert  G.  Max- 
tone  Graham  was  thoroughly  satisfied:  he  enjoyed 
the  life  in  Iowa,  and  found  himself  in  better  health 
than  when  he  was  in  England.  W.  H.  Statter,  W. 
Roylance  Court,  Jr.,  Henry  Gamett,  and  H.  Grey 
de  Pledge  declared  that  the  Close  description  of 
northwestern  Iowa  was  fully  borne  out  by  the 
facts,  that  the  accounts  were  not  a  bit  exaggerated 
or  too  puffed  up,  and  that  it  was  a  grand  country. 
Edward  T.  Wright,  Philip  Barnett,  W.  P.  Bridson, 
the  Hon.  H.  F.  Sugden,  and  Arthur  Gee  had  visit- 
ed the  region  and  were  convinced  of  its  advan- 
tages. During  an  extensive  tour  in  the  summer  of 
1878  Rudolph  C.  Lehmann  of  London  passed 
through  Plymouth  County  and  obtained  some  very 
good  first-hand  information.  To  quote  from  a 
letter  on  his  travels : 


IOWA  MADE  ATTRACTIVE  93 

During  the  greater  part  of  this  tour  we  kept  clear 
of  hotels,  and  put  up  at  night  at  the  house  of  the 
nearest  farmer:  thus  my  opportunities  of  acquiring 
information  were  better  than  those  of  the  ordinary 
traveller  by  railroad.  Every  farmer  with  whom  I 
talked  spoke  in  the  most  enthusiastic  terms  of  the  soil, 
the  richness  and  inexhaustible  fertility  of  which  must 
seem  remarkable  to  anyone  accustomed  only  to  Eng- 
lish agriculture  and  necessary  rotation  of  crops.  To 
employ  the  expression  of  one  farmer,  ''You  scratch 
the  ground  with  a  toothpick,  and  reap  two  harvests 
a  year." 

R.  P.  Kay  wrote  to  the  Closes  that  it  was  with 
great  regret  that  he  had  left  Iowa  —  although  he 
still  had  a  farm  there  —  because  Mrs.  Kay  could 
not  sta}^,  adding:  ''It  is,  as  you  told  me,  rather 
rough  for  ladies."^" 


VII 

ENGLISH  SETTLERS  WELCOMED  AT 
LE  MARS 

Before  the  Closes  had  prepared  their  pamphlet 
for  distribution  and  before  William  B.  Close  had 
left  for  England,  forty  or  fifty  gentlemen,  some 
with  their  families,  had  arrived  at  Le  Mars  on  Mr. 
Close's  recommendation,  and  not  one  of  them  had 
expressed  dissatisfaction  with  northwestern  Iowa 
**from  a  farmer's  point  of  view."  This  fact  was 
given  plenty  of  publicity  in  England.^^  A  large 
number  of  these  first  newcomers  seem  to  have 
settled  southeast  of  Le  Mars,  but  all  received  an 
enthusiastic  welcome,  at  least  so  far  as  the  local 
press  was  concerned.  In  the  autumn  of  1879  one 
editor  made  the  following  announcement : 

Last  Thursday  another  installment  of  English  cap- 
italists reached  Le  Mars,  and  they  are  already  on  the 
look-out  for  lands.  It  is  estimated  that  by  the  1st  of 
January  one  hundred  others  will  sail  for  America, 
with  Northwestern  Iowa  as  their  destination.  And 
we  most  heartily  welcome  them.  Those  already  here 
are  gentlemen  of  culture,  of  fine  social  attainments, 
and  they  enter  so  heartily  into  the  work  of  improv- 
ing and  building  up  this  region  that  they  set  in  motion 

94 


ENGLISH  SETTLERS  WELCOMED  95 

others  who  have  been  given  to  croaking.  By  all  means 
let  the  English  and  the  French  and  the  Germans  and 
the  Irish  come  to  Northwestern  Iowa  and  build  homes 
for  themselves  and  for  others.®^ 

And  two  weeks  later  the  American  inhabitants 
of  Le  Mars  and  vicinity  were  furnished  with  more 
glad  tidings: 

The  Messrs.  Close  Brothers,  Mr.  Grahame,  and  the 
other  English  capitalists  have  decided  to  locate  per- 
manently in  Le  Mars,  and  will  have  their  office  in  the 
basement  of  Dent's  brick  bank  building,  on  Sixth 
Street.  That  this  determination  is  a  wise  one  for  the 
gentlemen  named  w^e  have  no  doubt,  and  Le  Mars 
will  be  glad  to  have  them  remain  with  us.  These 
gentlemen  are  improving  vast  quantities  of  land  in 
this  and  adjacent  counties ;  but  what  they  have  already 
done  is  only  a  small  matter  to  what  they  will  do  in 
the  future.  They  are  giving  employment  to  many 
worthy  men;  making  it  an  easy  matter  for  poor  men 
to  secure  good  farms,  encouraging  emigration  hither- 
ward,  and  are  in  fact  busy  all  the  time  doing  some- 
thing that  advances  the  prosperity  of  Northwest  Iowa. 
We  repeat,  we  are  gratified  to  have  them  locate  in 
Le  Mars.^' 

From  time  to  time  during  the  next  few  years, 
the  Le  Mars  newspapers  recorded  the  arrival  of 
English  people  in  ** rafts"  or  ** detachments  of 
yeomanry",  or  else  told  of  their  being  on  the  way. 
Thus,  in  December,  1879,  twenty  gentlemen  with 
their  families  were  reported  to  have  set  sail  from 


96  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

England;  in  March,  1880,  seventy  more  English 
friends  of  the  Closes  were  expected  to  reach  Le 
Mars  in  a  few  weeks;  and  in  April,  1880,  scores 
of  newcomers  from  the  wealthy  class  of  Man- 
chester had  arrived."  In  order  to  cope  with  the 
invasion,  and  especially  to  cater  to  the  peculiar 
wants  of  their  fellow  countrymen.  Close  Brothers 
and  Company  bought  the  Commercial  Hotel  and 
renamed  it  "Albion  House"."' 

Although  the  Close  project  early  received  a  wel- 
come from  Le  Mars  editors,  some  criticism  was 
voiced  at  St.  Paul  because  the  firm  encouraged 
only  the  immigration  of  the  educated  Englishman 
who  commanded  at  least  $2500  and  preferably 
more  to  start  with.  A  Le  Mars  newspaper 
answered  by  calling  this  attack  **a  pusillanimous 
spirit  of  men  whose  souls  are  too  small  to  see 
others  prosper".  About  one  year  later  when  com 
buskers  were  sorely  needed,  a  correspondent  sug- 
gested the  remedy:  "If  the  Close  Brothers  were 
to  use  as  much  influence  toward  obtaining  some 
of  the  laboring  class  from  the  manufacturing  dis- 
tricts of  England,  or  from  some  of  the  suffering 
counties  of  Ireland,  they  would  bestow  a  greater 
blessing  on  the  northwest  than  they  do  by  bringing 
over  capitalists,  for  capital  can  live  anywhere", 
but  labor  was  something  the  Northwest  and  especi- 
ally Plymouth  County  could  not  do  without."* 


ENGLISH  SETTLERS  WELCOMED  97 

That  the  new  life  which  had  been  instilled  into 
the  settlement  of  the  region  by  the  energy  and 
enterprise  of  these  representatives  of  English 
capital  was  appreciated  is  sufficiently  attested  by 
observers  of  the  time.  A  correspondent  of  an 
eastern  agricultural  journal,  for  instance,  con- 
cluded his  lengthy  article  on  what  the  Close  broth- 
ers were  doing  for  Pljonouth,  Sioux,  Lyon,  and 
Osceola  counties  in  the  f  oUomng  words : 

Many  Englishmen  are  settling  in  Northwestern 
Iowa  through  this  agency,  purchasing  and  improving 
homesteads,  in  size  and  manner  according  to  their 
tastes  and  means.  We  did  not  meet  these  gentlemen 
during  our  stay  in  these  counties,  but  were  informed 
by  those  who  know,  that  they  had  been  the  means  of 
bringing  over  $600,000  of  money  into  this  part  of  the 
state  within  the  past  two  years,  and  were  developing 
large  stock  farms,  as  individual  investments,  in  Ply- 
mouth and  Woodbury  counties.  Their  average  price 
is  $6  per  acre.  Taxes  are  doubtless  higher  here  than  in 
the  East,  literally  stated,  but  in  fact  they  are  much 
lower,  when  you  estimate  the  difference  in  valuations 
—  upon  which,  of  course,  the  taxes  are  levied.®^ 

The  Close  brothers  also  found  personal  admirers 
in  the  little  city  which  had  thus  far  been  the  center 
of  the  district  on  which  they  had  expended  theii^ 
wealth  to  make  it  "blossom  as  the  rose".  To  quote 
from  a  writer  in  the  local  press: 

The  achievements  of  these  gentlemen  during  the 


98  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

past  two  years  in  the  way  of  improving  and  develop- 
ing the  country,  stands  without  a  parallel  in  the 
history  of  western  civilization;  and  while  the  scope 
of  their  operations  extends  over  several  counties  of 
Northwestern  Iowa,  the  southern  portion  of  Minnesota 
and  Dakota,  Lemars  and  Plymouth  county  have  been 
so  far,  the  greatest  beneficiaries  from  the  enterprise 
which  they  represent  ....  The  business  of  the  two 
firms^*  embraces  the  investment  of  English  capital  in 
lands,  and  the  improvement  of  the  same ;  that  is  trans- 
forming the  broad  prairies  of  the  peerless  northwest 
into  improved  farms.  They  have  expended  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  dollars,  and  have  hundreds  of  thous- 
ands more  to  be  applied  in  the  same  direction.  In 
order  that  the  reader  may  gain  a  more  comprehensive 
idea  of  the  magnitude  of  their  operations  we  submit 
a  brief  statement  of  last  year's  achievements  in  Ply- 
mouth, Woodbury,  Sioux,  Lyon  and  Osceola  counties 
mostly  in  the  three  first  named.  .  .  . 

Time  and  space  forbid  more  lengthy  reference  to 
an  enterprise  that  has  done  so  much  for  town  and 
country  but  we  should  have  failed  to  perform  our 
whole  duty,  if  we  were  to  leave  the  subject  before  us 
without  according  in  behalf  of  Lemars  and  Plymouth 
county  a  meed  of  praise  for  the  untiring  energy  dis- 
played by  the  above  firm  in  the  interest  of  both  city 
and  country.  Their  business  operations  have  con- 
tributed vastly  to  the  prosperity  of  Northwestern 
Iowa,  and  in  the  future  as  in  the  past,  Lemars  should 
delight  to  do  honor  to  an  agency  that  has  done  so 
much  to  make  the  young  city  what  it  is  —  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  and  prosperous  in  the  State.**" 


VIII 

FORMATION  OF  THE  IOWA  LAND 
COMPANY 

At  all  times  confident  of  the  wonderful  future 
in  store  for  the  counties  of  northwestern  Iowa,  the 
Close  brothers  lost  no  reasonable  opportunity  to 
acquire  as  much  land  as  possible.  In  March,  1880, 
they  were  reported  as  owning  30,000  acres;  and 
one  month  later  they  bought  9900  acres,  the  east 
half  of  Union  Township  in  Plymouth  County."" 
So  many  and  extensive  were  their  purchases  as 
subsequently  announced  in  the  press,  that  it  would 
be  difficult  to  compute  how  much  land  they  ac- 
quired title  to:  only  their  books  could  reveal  the 
exact  figures,  but  these  no  longer  exist."^ 

James  B.  Close  was  reported  to  have  *'seen  fit 
to  keep  the  operations  and  iuside  workings  of  the 
firm  private  until  such  time  as  they  could  get 
everything  in  order  and  in  a  working  condition"; 
and  so,  it  w^as  not  imtil  interviewed  by  a  Dubuque 
newspaperman  in  September,  1881,  that  he  gave 
the  first  account  of  the  firm's  immense  capacity 
for  doing  business.  In  the  autumn  of  1878  they 
bought  30,000  acres  of  wild  land  in  Woodbury  and 


99 


100  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Plymouth  counties.  In  the  spring  of  1879  they 
became  agents  for  London  and  other  English 
capital  in  gradually  increasing  sums.  During  the 
year  1880  the  firm  bought  land  in  Worth  and  Tay- 
lor counties  and  in  northwestern  Iowa  the  follow- 
ing amounts :  at  one  time  18,280,  at  another  40,000, 
at  still  another  25,000,  and  later  14,000  acres 
more."^ 

What  relations  the  Closes  had  with  the  land 
department  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  can 
not  be  stated  with  certainty,  but  in  the  summer  of 
1880  it  appears  that  E.  F.  Drake,  land  commis- 
sioner of  the  St.  Paul  and  Sioux  City  Railroad, 
invited  them  to  St.  Paul  for  a  conference  and  en- 
tertained them  and  C.  W.  Benson  at  his  own  home 
for  several  days.  This  visit  led  to  a  very  impor- 
tant contract  whereby  the  original  plans  of  the 
English  firm  were  "enlarged  to  a  scale  of  impor- 
tance more  fruitful  in  its  results  than  any  coloniza- 
tion scheme  hitherto  inaugurated  in  the  north- 
west.'""^ Eventually,  as  will  be  shown  later,  the 
Closes  extended  their  holdings  into  counties  along 
the  Iowa-Minnesota  border. 

During  the  whole  course  of  their  operations, 
with  a  single  exception,  the  Close  firm  took  no 
steps  to  plan  or  promote  towns.  In  the  autumn  of 
1880  they  platted  near  their  farm  in  the  south- 
eastern part  of  Plymouth  County  the  village  of 


FORMATION  OF  IOWA  LAND  COMPANY        101 

Quorn,  because  they  expected  the  Chicago  and 
Northwestern  Railroad  to  come  that  way.  Due  to 
some  misunderstanding,  or  because,  as  a  local 
historian  wrote  later,  **the  company,  not  liking 
the  Johnny  Bull  methods  of  inducing  railways  to 
their  embryo  towns,  finally  platted  Kingsley,  one 
mile  to  the  east",  and  so  the  fair  hopes  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Quorn  and  its  projectors  were  forever 
blasted/"* 

In  January,  1881,  the  Closes  are  said  to  have 
bought  from  Bloomington  (Illinois)  speculators 
19,000  acres  near  Larchwood  in  Lyon  County  for 
about  $90,000,  and  soon  after  they  announced  their 
intention  to  open  an  of&ce  at  Rock  Rapids  in  that 
county."'  In  a  letter  written  about  this  time, 
William  B.  Close  asserted  that  for  the  past  two 
years  Woodbury,  PljTnouth,  and  Sioux  coimties 
had  been  the  center  of  their  operations  and  that 
the  influx  of  Englishmen  and  weU-to-do  settlers 
had  exhausted  the  cheap  land  and  permanently 
raised  values  in  that  region  —  hence  their  reason 
for  spreading  out  toward  the  Minnesota  bound- 
ary."^ At  the  same  time  they  were  appointed  sole 
agents  for  the  sale  of  the  lands  of  the  St.  Paul  and 
Sioux  City  Railroad  in  Sioux,  Lyon,  and  Wood- 
bury counties"^  —  indeed,  they  are  reported  as 
having  bought  all  the  unsold  lands  of  that 
company. 


102  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

The  firm  of  Close  Brothers  and  Company,  which 
in  1880  kept  an  office  at  38  Comhill,  London, 
changed  its  name  to  Close,  Benson  and  Company 
—  C.  W.  Benson  having  become  a  partner  in  the 
business.  In  1881  the  firm  offered  tenants  on  their 
farms  the  privilege  of  purchase  after  fifteen 
months'  development."*  Otherwise  they  went  right 
on  constantly  adding  to  their  possessions.  Besides 
maintaining  an  office  at  Le  Mars,  they  set  up  an- 
other at  Rock  Rapids  and  one  at  Sibley  in  May, 
1881  —  James  B.  Close  taking  charge  of  the  latter. 

By  this  time  the  real  estate  interests  of  the  com- 
pany in  northwestern  Iowa  and  southern  Minne- 
sota had  become  so  immense  and  questions  of 
titles,  transfers,  leases,  and  sales  so  delicate  that 
they  engaged  Major  J.  C.  Ball  to  devote  his  entire 
time  and  attention  to  their  affairs.  Having  served 
as  manager  of  most  of  the  legal  business  of  the 
Close  brothers  at  Le  Mars  for  the  past  two  years, 
Mr.  BaU,  with  an  assistant,  located  at  Sibley  in 
order  to  apply  himself  to  the  intricacies  of  the 
land  situation  in  that  region.  As  a  ''side  line" 
to  their  expanding  business,  the  firm  had  already 
purchased  a  complete  abstract  of  land  titles  in 
Plymouth  County.""  So  extensive  were  their  pur- 
chases and  sales  for  one  week  in  May,  1881,  that, 
allowing  for  possible  newspaper  exaggeration,  it 
was  estimated  at  nearly  100,000  acres."" 


FORMATION  OF  IOWA  LAND  COMPANY        103 

In  the  month  of  January,  1881,  Close,  Benson 
and  Company  of  London  sent  word  to  the  land 
commissioner  of  the  St.  Paul  and  Sioux  City  Rail- 
road that  the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  Lord  Stafford, 
and  certain  British  railway  magnates  were  making 
plans  to  visit  the  Middle  West.  Correspondence 
began  and  the  manager  of  the  tour  was  interceded 
with  and  so  urgently  invited  to  visit  the  Close 
colony  that  he  finally  promised  to  journey  from 
Omaha  to  Chicago  by  way  of  St.  Paul.  Late  in 
May  the  duke  with  his  retinue  passed  through 
Le  Mars  without  leaving  the  train ;  but  at  Sibley, 
the  new  county  seat  of  Osceola  County,  the  ducal 
party  was  met  at  the  station  by  William  B.  Close 
and  conducted  on  a  sightseeing  tour  of  the  neigh- 
boring prairie  for  two  hours:'"  one  of  the  farms 
was  inspected  with  great  interest  by  the  duke  and 
his  agricultural  friends,  ^'as  the  plow  was  then 
turning  soil  that  had  never  yet  been  touched  by 
the  hand  of  man. ' "" 

The  reason  for  this  visit  of  English  capitalists 
is  easily  explained:  the  Iowa  Land  Company, 
Limited,  had  been  formed  in  London  to  under- 
take the  land  and  colonization  business  on  a  very 
extensive  scale  imder  the  tenantry  system  on  the 
lands  adjacent  to  the  St.  Paul  and  Sioux  City 
Railroad;  and  a  large  sum  of  money,  variously 
estimated  at  from  $1,125,000  to  $2,500,000  had  been 


104  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

subscribed  for  stock,  of  which  nearly  one-half  was 
taken  by  members  of  the  ducal  party/"  The  Close 
brothers  were  made  managers  of  this  corporation 
which  they  seem  to  have  been  instrumental  in 
forming.  According  to  one  source  of  information, 
before  the  title  to  a  vast  quantity  of  land  had 
passed,  the  breaking  teams  of  contractors  were  set 
to  work  in  the  neighborhood  of  Sibley ;  twenty-six 
square  miles  of  virgin  soil  were  turned  over;  and 
lumber  was  selected  for  160  houses  to  be  erected 
and  ready  for  tenants  in  the  spring  of  1882. 

The  Duke  of  Sutherland,  one  of  the  wealthiest 
peers  of  England,  was  reported  also  as  having 
bought  from  sixty  to  seventy  thousand  acres  in 
Rock  and  Nobles  counties  in  Minnesota."*  Over 
sixty  square  miles  of  land  in  Osceola  County  were 
selected  for  the  company;  but  inasmuch  as  the 
title  of  the  Sioux  City  and  St.  Paul  Railroad  was 
being  disputed"'  by  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and 
St.  Paul,  and  the  attorneys  of  all  the  parties  in- 
terested could  not  agree  on  the  subject,  a  check  for 
$160,653  was  paid  to  the  First  National  Bank  of 
St.  Paul  as  trustee  pending  the  final  settlement  of 
the  question  of  title.  Sibley  became  the  company's 
headquarters.  Thus,  it  is  said,  with  an  office  in 
London  and  of&ces  in  the  chief  cities  of  the  United 
Kingdom,  with  a  desk  in  the  Sioux  City  land  of&ces, 
represented  by  C.  W.  Slayton,  the  Iowa  La^nd 


FORMATION  OF  IOWA  LAND  COMPANY        105 

Company  listed  on  the  stock  exchange  in  London 
commanded  enormous  moneyed  resources.  A  St. 
Paul  newspaper  could  not  withhold  its  congratula- 
tions in  the  following  terms : 

The  St.  Paul  chamber  of  coinmerce  delegation,  who 
extended  so  warm  a  welcome  to  the  Duke  of  Suther- 
land and  party,  may  take  credit  for  their  part;  the 
St.  Paul  and  Omaha  road,  who  gave  a  special  train 
for  the  party,  may  take  credit  for  its  part;  the  land 
commissioner  of  the  Sioux  City  road  who  wears  the 
duke's  scarf  pin  as  a  trophy  may  take  credit  for  his 
part,  and  good  people  of  St.  Paul  may  felicitate  them- 
selves and  be  thankful  for  the  enterprise,  which  in- 
duced this  heap  of  British  gold  to  a  transfer  from 
the  bank  coffers  of  London,  and  which  will  be  followed 
by  sturdy  English  brain  and  muscle  to  develop  a  very 
important  artery  of  St.  Paul's  commerce  and  to  fur- 
ther insure  a  future  which  the  sanguine  can  scarcely 
conceive.^^® 

The  Close  brothers  had  the  task  of  purchasing 
and  looking  after  lands  for  the  Iowa  Land  Com- 
pany. From  this  time  on  their  operations  were 
practically  inseparable  from  those  of  their  prin- 
cipal, although  they  retained  their  holdings  in 
Crawford,  Plymouth,  and  other  counties.  It  was 
anticipated  that  the}^  would  break  40,000  acres  of 
wild  land  in  1881;  and  with  150,000  acres  under 
their  charge,  they  rivalled  the  gigantic  farming 
operations  of  the  famed  Oliver  Dalrymple."^  Soon 


106  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

they  were  buying  land  near  Canton,  South 
Dakota."*  About  the  middle  of  July  the  Iowa 
Land  Company  was  reported  as  owning  100,000 
acres  in  southwestern  Minnesota  and  northwestern 
Iowa:""  farms  to  the  number  of  120  with  good 
dwelling-houses  and  bams  were  opened  to  be  sold 
or  rented  on  favorable  terms,  the  managers  in- 
tending to  secure  tenants  or  purchasers  in  Illinois 
and  Wisconsin,  if  the  farms  were  not  disposed  of 
before  winter.  This  unexpected  **boom"  met  with 
a  hearty  reception  from  the  Yankee  pioneers  of 
Sibley: 

The  land  broken  this  season  will  be  back-set  next 
fall,  and  thus  made  ready  for  seeding  in  the  spring. 
The  purpose  is  to  put  up  hay  on  all  the  farms  opened, 
so  that  those  who  rent  and  take  possession  of  them 
during  the  winter  will  have  feed  for  horses  and  cattle. 
Those  who  have  had  dealings  with  Close  Bros.,  in  the 
way  of  contracts  for  breaking,  find  them  to  be  honor- 
able gentlemen  and  always  ready  to  do  what  is  right. 
And  as  James  B.  Close  will  have  charge  of  the  busi- 
ness of  the  Iowa  Land  Company,  the  relations  of  our 
people  with  it  will  be  pleasant.  Osceola  county  is 
fortunate  in  the  establishment  of  this  company  here, 
as  its  farming  operations  will  make  Sibley  as  live  a 
towTi  as  there  is  in  Iowa,  and  greatly  hasten  the  de- 
velopment of  the  magnificent  resources  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.*** 

Owing  to  their  mammoth  operations  in  land 


FORMATION  OF  IOWA  LAND  COMPANY        107 

both  for  themselves  and  for  the  Iowa  Land  Com- 
pany, the  Closes  were  declared  to  have  done  "more 
to  help  the  prosperity  and  growth  of  the  great 
west  than  any  of  our  American  people,  and  they 
are  deserving  of  success.'""  A  Sioux  City  news- 
paper editorial  on  "Our  British  Tax-Payers'' 
declared : 

Some  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  English  interests 
in  Northwestern  Iowa  may  be  inferred  from  the  taxes 
paid  by  Close  Bros.  &  Co.,  for  themselves  and  the  in- 
vestors represented  by  the  firm,  in  this  county,  $1,400 ; 
Plymouth  county,  $4,000;  Sioux  county,  $1,600;  Lyon 
county,  $5,000;  and  in  Osceola  county  $1,500.  In  the 
latter  county  there  is  beside  this  $10,000  taxes  paid 
by  the  Iowa  Land  Company,  Limited,  of  which  the 
Duke  of  Sutherland  is  the  heavy  man.  These  figures 
have  nothing  to  do  with  the  amounts  paid  by  indivi- 
dual resident  owners  of  English  birth  of  whom  there 
are  several  hundred  in  this  county  and  the  two  next 
north.  As  these  taxes  average  only  a  little  more  than 
ten  cents  per  acre,  the  extent  of  the  English  land  in- 
terests may  be  reckoned."^ 

Minnesota  people  were  also  beginning  to  cast 
longing  ej^es  south  across  the  boundary  toward 
these  Englishmen  busily  improving  Iowa,  and 
from  general  indications  expected  an  expansion 
into  Nobles  County."^  Still  farther  away,  wide- 
awake promoters  of  the  Red  River  Valley  of  the 
North  tendered  the  Closes  special  transportation 


108  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

to  come  and  see  "what  real  productive  land  is" 
and  after  seeing  to  "abandon  the  hog  and  hominy 
plains  of  Iowa  for  the  wheat  fields  of  Dakota.""* 
Soon  the  expectations  of  Minnesota  pioneers 
were  rewarded  when  thej^  learned  that  all  the  rail- 
road lands  in  Nobles  County  had  been  sold  and 
that  the  Close  brothers  intended  to  open  an  office 
in  Worthing-ton  and  begin  the  development  of  their 
holdings."'  At  the  same  time  much  remained  to 
be  done  in  Iowa.  At  Sibley  they  built  a  large 
brick  block  128  by  80  feet."'  In  the  spring  of  1882 
C.  W.  Benson,  one  of  the  partners,  while  on  a 
visit  to  St.  Paul,  announced  the  plans  of  English 
capitalists  for  the  construction  of  the  Spirit  Lake 
and  Western  Railroad.  The  Iowa  Land  Company, 
then  reputed  to  be  the  largest  foreign  company 
doing  business  in  the  United  States  with  a  capital- 
ization of  $5,500,000  and  stock  selling  on  the  Lon- 
don exchange  at  a  premium  of  twenty-five  per 
cent,  was  projecting  the  route  through  its  Osceola 
and  Lyon  county  tracts  to  Sioux  Falls,  South 
Dakota,  while  some  of  the  railroad  companies  were 
talking  and  doing  nothing.  G-rade  stakes  were  set 
and  arrangements  made  in  London  for  the  rails.'" 


IX 

PROHIBITION  AND  ENGLISH 
IMMIGRATION 

During  the  early  years  the  English  settlers  at 
Le  Mars  and  vicinity  were  greatly  agitated  by  the 
proposal  to  amend  the  Constitution  so  as  to  drive 
out  of  the  State  the  sale  and  manufacture  of  in- 
toxicating liquor.  The  General  Assembly  in  1880 
threw  a  considerable  scare  into  the  first  new- 
comers from  England  by  its  resolution  in  favor 
of  the  prohibitory  amendment.  In  accordance 
with  the  requirement  of  the  State  Constitution 
similar  action  was  taken  at  the  next  regular  ses- 
sion of  the  General  Assembly  in  1882 ;  at  the  same 
time  provision  was  made  giving  the  voters  an 
opportunity  to  declare  for  or  against  the  proposal 
at  a  special  election  in  June.  A  favorite  argument 
of  the  ''Antis"  was  that  the  adoption  of  prohibi- 
tion would  prevent  immigration  to  Iowa  and  thus 
retard  the  development  of  the  State. 

The  result  of  the  popular  referendum  on  the 
subject  on  June  27,  1882,  showed  that  the  amend- 
ment lost  in  Plymouth  County  (English  settlers 
not  voting  because  they  were  still  aliens)  but  car- 

109 


110  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

ried  the  State  by  a  good  majority  —  thus  assuring 
the  disappearance  of  saloons  in  Iowa.  Immediate- 
ly the  question  arose  as  to  what  effect  this  step 
was  likely  to  have  on  the  business  of  Close 
brothers.  When  interviewed  by  a  newspaper  re- 
porter, Fred  B.  Close  is  alleged  to  have  stated  that 
the  firm  w^ould  probabty  leave  the  State.  After- 
wards Mr.  Close  declared  that  the  reporter  used 
stronger  language  than  the  interview  warranted. 
He  said  that  since  a  large  portion  of  the  firm's 
business  was  done  with  Englishmen  fresh  from 
England,  the  amendment  would  likely  deter  many 
from  coming  to  Le  Mars;  and  that  if  this  fact 
caused  their  business  to  fall  off  materially,  the 
Close  brothers  might  go  somewhere  else.  But  he 
did  not  think  it  at  all  likely  that  this  would  hap- 
pen."' What  really  occurred  in  consequence  of 
the  incident  may  well  be  told  in  the  words  of  a 
Le  Mars  editor: 

Some  anonymous  penny-a-liner  wrote  to  the  Pioneer- 
Press  what  purported  to  be  an  interview  with  Fred 
B.  Close  of  Lemars,  in  which  the  Close  Bros,  were 
represented  as  intending  to  pull  out  of  Iowa,  because 
of  the  adoption  of  the  amendment  prohibiting  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  intoxicants ;  and  a  lot  of  very 
callow  newspaper  scribblers  are  making  conspicuous 
donkeys  of  themselves  by  repeating  with  emendations, 
the  alleged  interview.  The  usually  discreet  Carroll 
Herald  flies  off  at  a  tangent  and  propounds  a  lot  of 


PROHIBITION  AND  THE  ENGLISH  111 

very  ridiculous  questions  affecting  the  business  in- 
tegrity of  the  firm,  and  demanding  from  the  Sioux 
City  Journal,  categorical  answer.  The  Journal  has 
not  answered,  not  because  it  cannot,  but  probably  be- 
cause it  deems  the  questions  unworthy  of  notice,  which 
is  true,  but  the  queries  are  in  print,  and  very  widely 
circulated,  must  receive  attention.  The  complete  reply 
to  its  interrogatories  is  that  the  Close  Bros,  have  the 
entire  confidence  of  the  English  Colony,  which  would 
not  be  the  case  had  they  acted  other  than  honorably 
with  their  clients.  .  .  .  Their  purpose  of  abandoning 
the  state  on  account  of  the  amendment;  or  for  any 
other  reason,  may  be  easily  inferred  from  the  fact 
that  they  continue  making  investments  just  as  if  there 
had  been  no  election  on  June  27th.  The  Close  Bros, 
are  business  men  and  not  doctrinaires.  They  are  cos- 
mopolitan in  their  ideas,  and  accommodate  themselves 
readily  to  surrounding  conditions.  They  have  invest- 
ed hundreds  of  thousands,  are  still  investing  and  are 
ready  to  invest  more  if.  they  can  see  their  way  to  get- 
ting returns  for  their  outlay.  That  is  all  there  is  to 
it.  They  have  their  views  on  all  public  questions,  but 
no  men  in  Iowa,  having  the  interests  at  stake  they 
have,  are  more  reticent  or  more  modest  in  expressing 
them.  It  is  about  time  the  foolish  gabble  regarding 
them  is  stopped,  for  the  nonsensical  stuff  is  doing 
northwestern  Iowa  more  harm  than  it  is  doing  them.^^' 

In  this  connection  it  is  well  to  add  that  as  early 
as  January  and  February,  1880,  before  prohibition 
was  assured  as  a  definite  State  policy,  the  Close 
brothers    were    aware    that    one    trait    of    their 


112  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

countrymen  in  America  was  their  liking  for  alco- 
holic beverages:  so  marked  a  drawback  to  the 
happiness  and  success  of  English  settlers  in  north- 
western Iowa  caused  the  Close  brothers  to  em- 
phasize their  caution  in  no  uncertain  terms: 

Unless  a  man  will  keep  from  that  vice  he  had  better 
stay  in  England,  where  he  can  get  the  drink  he  is  used 
to,  for  a  drunkard  will  no  more  succeed  in  Iowa  than 
in  England.  We  are  sorry  to  have  to  state  that  in 
this  respect  English  settlers  have  acquired  a  bad  name, 
and  are  too  frequently  left  behind  by  the  more  sober 
and  steady  though  less  intelligent  German."" 

Needless  to  say,  the  business  of  the  Close 
brothers  was  not  seriously  interfered  with  by  the 
adoption  of  prohibition  in  Iowa.  The  new  amend- 
ment to  the  Constitution,  w^hile  in  force,  was  not 
always  well  enforced;  and  about  one  year  later  it 
was  declared  void  by  the  Iowa  Supreme  Court  on 
the  ground  of  unconstitutionality."^ 


X 

LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  CLOSE 
BROTHERS 

It  is  not  necessary  here  to  trace  the  expansion 
of  the  Iowa  Land  Company  into  Minnesota.  The 
Closes  were  advertising  500,000  acres  for  sale  in 
the  summer  of  1882.  At  the  new  town  of  Ireton 
in  Sioux  County  they  erected  'an  elegant  brick 
block.^^''  In  the  summer  of  the  following  year  the 
firm  bought  from  the  St.  Paul  and  Sioux  City  the 
towTL  site  of  Bigelow,  Minnesota,  and  from  the 
Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  100,000  acres  in 
Pipestone  County  farther  north."^ 

In  1883  they  still  advertised  500,000  acres  for 
sale  in  Plymouth,  Woodbury,  Lyon,  and  Osceola 
counties  in  Iowa,  and  Nobles,  Murray,  and  Rock 
counties  in  Minnesota."*  Indeed,  the  Close  broth- 
ers brought  the  hum  of  industry  to  southwestern 
Minnesota  by  giving  contracts  for  the  building  of 
farm  houses  before  the  snows  of  winter  came  in 
1883  and  even  built  a  hotel  at  Pipestone."'  What 
they  had  done  for  Le  Mars  and  Sibley  where  they 
still  maintained  offices,  Pipestone  also  expected. 
In  the  autumn  the  Closes  are  said  to  have  shipped 

113 


114  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

a  wagon  load  of  advertising  matter  to  different 
parts  of  Iowa,  Illinois,  and  Wisconsin  to  induce 
immigrants  to  the  region  which  they  were  pro- 
moting."" 

In  the  month  of  February,  1884,  the  Close 
brothers  gave  up  the  management  of  the  Iowa 
Land  Company  and  the  partnership  known  as 
Close,  Benson  and  Company  dissolved,  C.  W.  Ben- 
son leaving  it  to  take  over  the  management  of  the 
Iowa  Land  Company.  The  three  Closes  then 
formed  the  new  firm  of  Close  Brothers  and  Com- 
pany; but  Fred,  who  had  charge  of  the  business 
at  Pipestone,  withdrew  in  1884  and  became  a 
resident  of  Sioux  City."^  For  some  months,  in 
order  to  care  for  their  fai*ms  and  the  lands  of 
English  investors  still  in  their  hands,  James  and 
William  Close  maintained  offices  at  Le  Mars, 
Sibley,  and  Pipestone;  but  early  in  1885,  to  com- 
pete on  more  even  terms  with  railroad  and  other 
land  companies,  the  firm  incorporated,  set  up  at 
Chicago,  where  they  have  remained  to  this  day, 
although  the  Closes  have  not  kept  up  their  con- 
nection with  it  all  these  years."*  How  long  they 
kept  of&ces  in  Iowa  or  continued  to  own  or  man- 
age farms  in  Plymouth,  Woodbury,  Sioux,  Osce- 
ola, and  Lyon  counties  it  is  impossible  to  state."^ 

As  the  country  settled  up,  the  Closes  gradually 
disposed  of  their  holdings  to  tenants,  chiefly  Amer- 


LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  CLOSES  115 

icans,  whom  they  had  started  on  the  road  to  pros- 
perity. As  for  the  Iowa  Land  Company,  it  was 
reported  as  doing  business  in  Osceola  County 
several  years  later,  with  Cecil  F.  Benson  and  K. 
D.  Dunlop  as  active  partners.""  What  this  cor- 
poration did  in  that  county  may  be  told  in  the 
words  of  local  historians : 

While  the  Iowa  Land  Company  operated  here  it 
was  quite  a  rendezvous  for  young  Englishmen  who 
had  nothing  to  do  but  spend  an  allowance.  They  gave 
Sibley  the  appearance  of  being  a  lively  town.  Horse 
racing,  polo  playing,  fox  hunting  and  toboggan  sliding 
were  the  usual  sports  for  pastime.  The  company  sent 
agents  east  to  look  up  tenants  and  a  vast  number, 
good,  bad  and  indifferent,  were  brought  in  by  their 
enterprising  agents.  During  those  years,  Sibley  seemed 
to  have  a  boom,  but  as  a  lot  of  the  floating  class  of 
tenants  moved  on,  the  merchants  found  that  they  were 
losing  more  from  poor  accounts  than  they  had  ever 
lost  before.  It  was  probably  the  hardest  time  the 
Sibley  merchants  ever  experienced.  The  managers  of 
this  company  were  fine  gentlemen  and  free  buyers, 
as  well  as  prompt  paymasters,  but  many  of  their  ten- 
ants were  a  damage  to  the  town.  Finally  the  Iowa 
Land  Company  closed  out  its  interests  here  and  moved 
to  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  where  it  is  still  doing 
business.^" 

How  much  land  Englishmen  owned  in  Iowa  and 
Minnesota  in  the  spring  of  1884,  which  date  may 
be  regarded  as  marking  the  zenith  of  their  opera- 


116  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

tions  in  the  region,  was  estimated  by  a  St.  Paul 
newspaper  as  follows : 

Along  the  lines  of  the  St.  Paul  &  Sioux  City  and 
Sioux  City  &  St.  Paul,  now  the  western  division  of 
the  Omaha,  foreign  owners  are  more  plentiful;  and 
easily  first  in  magnitude  are  the  Close  Brothers,  for- 
merly of  Le  Mars,  Iowa,  but  lately  removed  to  Pipe- 
stone City,  Minnesota.  It  is  scarcely  correct  to  call 
these  gentlemen  aliens,  as  they  live  in  the  United 
States,  and  are  thoroughly  identified  w^th  American 
interests.  Their  possessions  foot  270,000  acres,  of 
which  150,000  are  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  in  Pipestone 
county,  Minn.;  30,000  from  the  same  company  in 
Osceola  and  Dickinson  counties,  Iowa;  50,000  from 
the  Sioux  City  road  in  Kock  and  Nobles  counties, 
Minn,  and  40,000  from  the  same  road  in  Osceola,  Sioux 
and  Lyon  counties,  Iowa.  The  gentlemen  have  many 
thousands  of  acres  under  cultivation ;  have  built  towTis, 
roads  —  rad  and  wagon  —  and  brought  to  this  country 
thousands  of  Britons.  The  following  table  shows  the 
total  of  alien  ownership,  those  owning  more  than  5000 
acres  being  designated  separately:"^ 

Acres 

CLOSE     BROTHERS,     ENGLAND 270,000 

SYKES    &    HUGHES,    ENGLAND 85,000 

MARQUIS    DE    MORES,    FRANCE      .......  16,000 

FINLAY  DUN  ET  AL,  ENGLAND 25,000 

C.  M  BEACH,  LONDON 10,000 

WmLIAM    JOHNSTON,   Ln^ERPOOL 7,000 

EDWARD    PAUL,    LIVERPOOL 6,000 

OTHER   OWNERS    (lESS   THAN    5,000   ACRES   EACH)  40,380 

GRAND     TOTAL 459,380 


LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  CLOSES  117 

That  the  accumulation  by  foreigners  of  vast 
quantities  of  American  land  had  begun  to  agitate 
the  citizens  of  the  country,  especially  the  Anglo- 
phobes,  is  clear  from  the  fact  that  bills  were  in- 
troduced in  Congress  in  1884  to  restrict  or  prevent 
the  acquisition  of  public  lands  by  these  **  leviathan 
squatters '^  Two  members  of  Congress  addressed 
their  colleagues  on  the  subject  and  expressed  their 
alarm  at  the  condition  of  things  by  pointing  out 
in  almost  identical  terms  that  these  foreigners  had 
bought  up  nearly  21,000,000  acres  of  land  within 
the  past  few  years."^  There  seems,  however,  to 
have  been  little  opposition  to  the  English  land 
holders  in  Iowa. 

Congressmen  were  asked  if  they  did  not  tremble 
for  the  future  when  they  saw  that  subjects  of  the 
British  Empire  in  only  thirty-two  different  tracts 
owned  an  area  equal  to  one-fourth  the  size  of  the 
British  Isles.  Nothing,  however,  was  done  at  this 
time  to  check  the  absorption  of  vast  quantities  of 
land  by  foreigners  or  interfere  with  the  growth  of 
large  landed  estates;  nor  did  Congress  take  steps 
to  aid  the  horde  of  settlers  who  alleged  they  had 
crowded  to  the  frontier  only  to  find  themselves 
pitted  in  a  desperate  struggle  against  corporate 
greed  and  combined  foreign  capital. 

It  may  also  be  recorded  in  this  connection  that 
the  Closes  formed  the  first  Kansas  Land  Company 
and  bought  about  100,000  acres  in  Trego  County, 


118  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Kansas.  In  a  letter  from  London,  dated  Novem- 
ber 30,  1921,  William  B.  Close  writes: 

There  had  been  rain  for  three  years  before  we 
bought  these  lands,  and  we  sold  most  of  them  off  at 
double  the  price  within  a  year;  but  unfortunately  a 
period  of  drought  set  in  and  the  lands,  being  sold  on 
time,  reverted  to  our  Company.  We  also  bought  an- 
other 100,000  acres  on  the  Atchison  Koad  in  Kansas, 
near  Colorado,  and  another  100,000  of  beautiful  land 
in  the  Panhandle  of  Texas.  But  unfortunately  a 
period  of  drought  set  in,  coinciding  with  the  period 
of  financial  depression  in  the  United  States,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  there  was  no  demand  for  these 
lands,  and  heavy  taxes  were  paid  each  year,  so  that 
when  a  demand  began  to  spring  up,  our  friends  here 
urged  us  to  sell,  get  what  money  we  could  back  out 
of  the  investment,  and  stop  paying  taxes.  Had  these 
lands  been  held  for  a  year  longer  when  the  secrets 
of  dry  farming  were  being  discovered,  there  would 
have  been  a  large  fortune  waiting  for  the  investment 
instead  of  which  we  did  not  get  the  whole  of  our 
money  back. 

At  Chicago  it  appears  that  Close  Brothers  and 
Company  developed  a  large  and  very  successful 
farm  loan  business,  borrowing  money  in  England 
at  from  four  to  five  per  cent  in  those  days  and 
realizing  from  six  and  one-half  to  seven  per  cent 
net  on  their  loans  in  this  country.  They  had  other 
enterprises  as  well,  including  an  irrigation  pro- 
ject at  Lamar,  Colorado,  and  the  building  of  the 


LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  CLOSES  119 

White  Pass  and  Yukon  Railway  in  Alaska,  which 
they  financed  from  London. 

A  brief  biographical  statement  about  the  four 
brothers  who  did  so  much  to  promote  the  settle- 
ment and  up-building  of  northwesterix  Jowa  will 
not  be  out  of  place  here.  The  tragic  end  of  Fred- 
erick Brooks  Close  occurred  on  the  polo  grounds 
at  Sioux  City,  in  Jime,  1890.  James  Brooks  Close 
died  on  July  31,  1910.  John  Brooks  Close,  who 
never  entered  the  firm  but  supplied  it  with  capital, 
died  on  ]\Iarch  20,  1914.  William  Brooks  Close, 
the  sole  survivor  of  the  original  partnership,  was 
still  enjoying  good  health,  except  for  the  effects 
of  an  operation  and  influenza  from  which  he  was 
recovering  in  a  London  hospital,  when  he  wrote 
on  November  30,  1921. 


XI 

CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  AGRICULTURE 

Despite  their  enthusiasm  over  the  wonderful 
promise  of  the  section  of  the  State  which  they 
were  promoting,  the  Close  brothers  did  not  im- 
agine or  prophesy  that  forty  years  later  Plymouth 
and  Sioux  counties  together  would  lead  Iowa,  the 
garden  spot  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  in  the  value 
of  land,  farm  buildings,  machinery,  and  live  stock ; 
stand  first  in  the  value  and  production  of  farm 
crops;  and  tower  high  in  agriculture  as  perhaps 
the  richest  of  the  counties  of  the  whole  United 
States."* 

The  Closes  made  no  mistake  when  in  1880  they 
advertised  the  fertility  of  the  soil  in  this  region. 
They  were  convinced  that  grasshoppers  alone  had 
discouraged  agricultural  industry  in  the  decade 
just  past;  and  they  invested  in  the  prairie  lands 
of  these  newer  counties  on  the  chance  that  the 
scourge  was  at  an  end.  Time  proved  that  in  the 
face  of  the  risks  which  they  had  assumed  they  and 
their  friends  were  wise  in  trying  their  hand  at 
agriculture  and  animal  husbandry  in  the  counties 
of  northwestern  Iowa. 

120 


CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  AGRICULTURE  121 

In  Garfield  Township,  Plymouth  County,  near 
the  present  town  of  Kingsley,  the  Closes  anticipat- 
ed the  coming  of  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern 
Railroad  and  ventured  to  buy  their  first  large  tract 
in  the  autumn  of  1878,  the  same  year  in  which 
they  had  begun  operations  in  Crawford  County. 
The  following  spring  saw  much  of  the  prairie  sod 
broken  for  cultivation,  some  thirty  odd  houses 
built  on  as  many  one  himdred  and  sixty  acre  farms, 
and  tenants  procured  for  most  of  them."^  Early 
in  1881  a  New  Jersey  editor  who  had  met  the 
brothers  at  Sioux  City  informed  his  readers  that 
the  Closes  owned  28,000  acres  in  the  county,  of 
w^hich  they  had  more  than  11,000  under  the  plow ; 
besides  they  had  made  an  actual  outlay  of  $100,000, 
having  built  150  houses  at  an  average  cost  of  $350 
each,  and  expected  to  break  15,000  acres  during 
the  year  and  obtain  one  hundred  renters  on  favor- 
able terms.  The  editor's  conclusion  that  these 
young  'Englishmen  showed  *' considerable  enter- 
prise" and  a  great  amount  of  ^* cheek"  was  capital- 
ized at  Le  Mars  in  the  following  retort: 

Jes'  so,  jes'  so.  And  since  the  Jarsey  scribe  met 
them  in  Sioux  City,  the  Close  Bros.,  have  been  cheeky 
enough  to  purchase  20,000  acres  more  in  Lyon  county, 
some  forty  miles  north  of  here.  They  have  had  the 
cheek  to  advertise  for  teams  to  break  an  additional 
18,000  acres  to  that  spoken  of  above.  They  had  the 
cheek  to  give  a  contract  the  other  day  to  one  of  our 
builders  for  the  erection  of  75  more  dwelling  houses. 


122  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

and  have  actually  the  cheek  to  invite  the  struggling 
and  sturdy  young  farmers  of  New  Jersey  (they  have 
no  prejudice  you  see  against  foreigners)  to  purchase 
those  farms  thus  improved,  or  rent  them  on  most 
favorable  terms.  They  have  the  cheek  to  invest  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars  in  actual  improvements, 
and  the  cheek  to  believe  the  investment  a  good  one. 
Yes,  they  have  "a  great  amount  of  cheek.""® 

How  many  houses  and  outbuildings  the  Closes 
had  constructed  on  their  o\sti  farms  and  others 
throughout  northwestern  Iowa  it  is  impossible 
even  to  estimate.  For  a  number  of  years  S.  B. 
Sawyer,  Wm.  McKay,  and  George  Warner,  build- 
ers and  contractors,  seem  to  have  been  busy  follow- 
ing the  pace  set  by  the  Close  brothers  in  their  pur- 
chase of  lands.  Whenever  new  farms  were  laid 
out,  these  artisans  made  bids  and  received  con- 
tracts to  put  up  the  necessary  buildings  in  Ply- 
mouth, Woodburj^  Sioux,  Lyon,  and  Osceola 
counties.  In  June,  1881,  upwards  of  two  hundred 
houses  of  uniform  size  and  style  and  as  many 
bams  were  reported  in  course  of  construction, 
ninety  alone  being  under  way  in  Osceola  and  Lyon 
counties  to  be  completed  for  occupancy  in  the 
autumn  or  spring.  Although  the  first  dwellings 
were  plastered,  some  of  the  later  ones  were  ceiled 
with  matched  lumber  and  after  January,  1882, 
their  dimensions  were  enlarged. 


CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  AGRICULTURE  123 

The  Close  brothers  are  credited  with  having 
made  the  first  and  greatest  improvement  in  Osceola 
County  when  in  January,  1882,  they  had  com- 
pleted about  one  hundred  houses  in  Viola,  Wilson, 
Holman,  Oilman,  and  Ooewey  townships."'  This 
niunber  was  only  a  starter  and  was  subsequently 
very  much  increased.  In  Lyon  County,  fwhere 
they  managed  over  20,000  acres,  one-half  of  which 
was  broken  and  seeded  in  the  spring  of  1881,  the 
Closes  built  over  100  houses  with  bams,  and  dur- 
ing this  year  they  are  said  to  have  spent  $100,000 
with  Lyon  County  merchants,  carpenters,  black- 
smiths, and  common  laborers."*  In  Sioux  County 
they  managed  over  46,000  acres,  an  area  equiva- 
lent to  two  whole  townships,  of  which  probably 
7000  acres  were  brought  imder  cultivation  in  1881 
and  divided  into  about  sixty  farms."® 

Some  idea  of  the  firm's  activity  as  the  creator 
of  homesteads  may  be  gathered  from  a  list  of  its 
accomplishments  in  five  counties  in  the  year  1881 : 
there  were  25,777  acres  broken  up,  14,318  acres 
cultivated,  24,211  acres  purchased,  319  houses 
built,  318  bams,  142  granaries,  122  comcribs,  and 
70  wells  dug.  Later  years  witnessed  a  greatly  in- 
creased showing  in  the  same  direction:  a  house, 
bam,  cribs,  and  other  improvements  arose  on 
every  quarter  of  a  section  controlled  by  the  Close 
brothers."" 


124  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Besides  carpenters,  masons,  and  plasterers, 
laborers  with  teams  and  plows  had  no  dearth  of 
work  for  several  spring  seasons:  breaking  the 
virgin  prairie  or  shallow  plowing  of  the  tough  sod 
became  their  principal  occupation  for  many  years 
to  come.  In  1881,  a  typical  year,  contracts  were 
let  for  12,000  acres  in  Plymouth  County  at  $2.25 
per  acre  and  30,000  acres  in  Lyon,  Sioux,  and 
Osceola  counties"^  —  at  the  end  of  the  year  about 
26,000  acres  having  been  actually  broken  up.  Not 
only  professional  ^'breakers"  but  also  tenants 
were  engaged  for  this  important  work. 

In  April,  1881,  the  Close  brothers  wanted  180 
farmers  as  tenants  on  unbroken  farms.  After 
breaking  the  sod  at  the  usual  rate  of  $2.25  per 
acre  and  sowing  it  to  flax,  the  seed  being  supplied 
free  by  the  firm  and  half  of  the  threshing  bill  paid 
later,  the  settler  divided  his  first  yearns  crop  on 
equal  shares  with  the  Closes.  In  this  way  settlers 
ran  no  risk,  were  assured  of  wages  and  free  house 
rent,  and  had  a  chance  to  look  aroimd  and  choose 
good  permanent  locations  for  future  farming 
operations."^  Furthermore,  when  the  flax  was 
harvested,  the  firm  paid  a  good  price  for  ''back 
setting'^,  that  is,  plowing  deeply  the  flax  stubble 
or  rotted  broken  prairie  sod  in  preparation  for 
the  next  year's  planting  of  com  and  wheat,  cereals 
not  nearly  so  exhausting  to  the  soil  as  flax. 


CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  AGRICULTURE  125 

Another  characteristic  feature  of  the  opening 
of  a  new  country  was  tree  planting  on  the  farms. 
George  H.  Wright,  called  the  horti-agriculturist 
of  Sioux  City,  at  various  times  obtained  contracts 
to  set  out  thousands  of  trees  upon  the  Close  and 
other  lands  throughout  northwestern  Iowa:  early 
in  1881  alone  he  was  engaged  to  plant  325  acres  of 
trees,  and  a  little  later  400  acres  more.  His  first 
work  consisted  of  planting  principally  in  the 
southeastern  part  of  Plymouth  County  and  the 
northeastern  comer  of  Woodbury  County.  The 
trees  planted  were  mostly  cottonwood  and  elm, 
with  a  liberal  sprinkling  of  ash,  box-elder,  and 
maple.  The  same  nursery  man  closed  a  contract 
to  plant  one  thousand  acres  of  trees  in  the  spring 
of  1882.'" 

Various  reasons  may  be  ascribed  for  this  kind 
of  activity.  The  whole  region  was  treeless  prairie 
except  for  a  little  timber  along  the  streams. 
Groves  were,  therefore,  planted  early,  several 
acres  on  every  farm,  to  supply  not  only  the  fuel 
demands  of  the  inhabitants  as  soon  as  possible  but 
also  for  shade  and  for  protection  as  windbreaks 
in  whiter  for  man  and  beast.  So  rapid  was  the 
growth  of  the  softwood  varieties  that  a  few  years 
sufficed  to  effect  the  objects  desired.  Moreover, 
the  State  legislature  had  stimulated  the  culture  of 
forest  trees  by  farmers  by  the  passage  of  a  law 


126  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

providing  that  for  every  acre  planted  to  trees  $100 
be  deducted  from  the  taxable  value  of  the  farm 
for  ten  years  from  the  time  of  planting,  thus  help- 
ing to  reduce  taxes."* 

Through  their  untiring  energy  and  perseverance 
the  Close  brothers  succeeded  in  attracting  not  only 
a  large  number  of  their  countrymen  to  locate  on 
farms  of  their  own  but  also  hundreds  of  tenants 
to  work  on  the  farms  belonging  to  their  firm  and 
to  the  Iowa  Land  Company  of  London.  In  the 
years  1880  and  1881  the  Close  farms  could  have 
been  let  twice  over,  a  fact  to  which  a  Le  Mars 
editor  alluded  as  "landlordism  on  business  prin- 
ciples —  landlordism  active,  enterprising  and  trot- 
ting about."'"  By  judicious  advertising  the  Closes 
found  it  easy  to  procure  renters,  as  may  be  guessed 
from  the  following  newspaper  story: 

These  improved  farms  will  be  rented  to  enterpris- 
ing and  thrifty  farmers,  either  for  cash  rent,  or  a 
share  of  the  crop.  When  desired  seed  will  be  fur- 
nished, and  in  some  cases  cows  and  stock,  and  the 
renter  given  an  opportunity  to  pay  for  the  same  in 
breaking  or  other  work,  at  a  good  price  for  his  labor. 
Each  farm  or  quarter  section  is  provided  with  a 
well-built  house  and  all  necessary  farm  buildings,  and 
all  that  is  required  by  the  renter  is  farming  imple- 
ments sufficient  to  plant  and  harvest  his  crops.  These 
farms,  scattered  throughout  the  several  counties  above 
alluded    to,    comprise    some    of   the    most   desirable 


CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  AGRICULTURE  127 

fanning  lands  on  the  American  continent  or  in  the 
world.  The  country  is  well  watered  and  adapted  to 
the  growth  of  corn,  wheat,  oats,  barley,  rye,  flax  and 
in  fact  all  the  cereal  crops  known  to  the  temperate 
zone.  For  grazing  and  dairying  purposes  the  country 
is  unparalleled,  which  features  will,  in  the  near  future, 
assume  an  important  place  in  the  agricultural  achieve- 
ments of  the  country.  The  lands  are  all  within  easy 
reach  of  railroads  and  markets ;  good  schools  abound, 
and  every  advantage  in  fact  is  vouchsafed  to  the 
settler  that  are  afforded  in  the  older  settled  states 
of  the  Union.  Situated  in  a  climate  proverbially 
healthy,  free  from  all  malarial  taint,  and  in  a  latitude 
free  from  the  severe  rigors  of  winter  and  the  melting 
rays  of  the  sununer  sun,  it  is  a  ''land  of  promise" 
to  the  poor,  and  to  the  rich  an  investment  that  will 
return  ten  fold."' 

Not  counting  the  farms  already  occupied,  the 
Closes  had  one  hundred  to  let  early  in  1881.  Of 
the  319  famis  opened  in  1881  only  about  thirty 
remained  imoccupied  in  February,  1882,  and  these 
were  soon  disposed  of  .^"  The  tenants  were  chiefly 
Americans,  although  some  Hollanders  took  ad- 
vantage of  the  opportunity  to  devote  themselves 
to  agriculture.  Indeed,  a  considerable  Dutch 
colony  had  been  established  in  Sioux  County,  the 
firm  of  Richardson  and  Hospers  at  Le  Mars  hav- 
ing busily  directed  the  tide  of  Dutch  immigration 
to  Sioux  and  Plymouth  counties  for  several 
years."^     These  people  came  with  little  of  the 


128  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

world's  goods;  they  familiarized  themselves  with 
the  country,  crops,  markets,  and  prices ;  and  event- 
ually many  of  them  bought  farms  from  the  Closes. 
So  numerous  were  the  holdings  controlled  by 
the  Closes  that  stewards  were  appointed  to  super- 
intend about  forty  farms  each.""  Thus,  John 
Hopkinson  received  an  appointment  to  look  after 
the  farms  in  Lyon  and  Osceola  coimties.  At  har- 
vest and  threshing  time  especially,  the  steward's 
vigilance  in  the  interest  of  his  employers  was  very 
much  needed.  Sometimes  the  Close  brothers,  in 
order  to  protect  themselves  as  well  as  their  ten- 
ants, procured  extra  labor  —  as  shown  by  their 
advertisement  in  the  autumn  of  1883  for  three 
hundred  additional  hands  to  help  harvest  and  care 
for  crops  on  Sioux  County  farms."" 


XII 

IMMIGRANT  FARMERS  IN  THE  ENGLISH 

COLONY 

There  can  be  no  question  but  that  the  immigra- 
tion of  Englishmen  to  the  counties  so  frequently 
named  in  these  pages  gave  business  and  agricul- 
ture a  new  impetus  in  northwestern  Iowa.  The 
system  whereby  the  Close  brothers  cooperated 
with  their  tenants  and  the  English  settlers,  after 
a  little  over  two  years  of  experimentation,  proved 
remunerative  to  all  concerned,  if  one  may  believe 
the  testimony  of  the  St.  Paul  press  in  1881 : 

Probably  the  safest,  and  consequently  on  the  aver- 
age, the  most  remunerative  kind  of  agricultural  life 
is  a  combination  of  all,  or  what  is  called  mixed  farm- 
ing. In  this,  stock  raising,  wheat  culture,  and  the 
production  of  other  grains  are  carried  on,  either 
simultaneously  or  in  succession  ....  A  remarkable 
instance  of  what  can,  in  this  manner,  be  accomplished, 
is  afforded  by  the  Close  brothers;  who  founded  the 
now  famous  Close  colonj^  near  Lemars  in  northwest- 
ern Iowa.  These  young  Englishmen,  of  high  social 
standing,  began  three  years  ago,  the  experiment  of 
farming  on  a  large  scale.  At  first  controlling  but 
moderate  capital,  they  now  have  300,000  acres  in 
their  enterprise. 

129 


130  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

The  colony  is  a  sort  of  community,  into  which  each 
one  who  enters  must  bring  at  least  $2,500  and  many 
do  bring  several  times  that  amount.  This  is,  of  course, 
private  property.  There  is  nothing  socialistic  in  their 
mutual  relations.  Their  astonishing  growth  in  wealth 
is  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  west.  But  it  is  not  their 
social  standing  or  community  regulations  which  con- 
stitutes the  central  interest  of  this  colony.  That  lies 
in  the  fact  that  they  have  proved  beyond  a  doubt  that 
modest  capital,  invested  in  this  region,  with  industry 
and  intelligence,  will  in  a  life-time  multiply  into 
wealth.  The  estimates  of  one  who  has  visited  this 
region  may  contain  minor  errors,  but  their  conclu- 
sions are  doubtless  substantially  correct.  On  a  capital 
of  $2,500,  invested  in  agriculture  the  return  is  equiva- 
lent to  54  per  cent,  at  the  end  of  two  years.  The 
raising  of  stock  promises  a  profit,  calculated  from 
actual  experience,  of  nearly  100  per  cent  in  three 
years.  Other  industries  are  equally  remunerative; 
and  by  combining  them,  it  can  readily  be  seen  that 
an  active  intelligent  man  can  find  here  the  road  to 
competence  if  not  to  wealth.  Small  capitalists  under- 
stand this;  and  already  a  contract  has  been  let  for 
the  erection  of  one  hundred  houses  this  season  in  this 
colony,  with  prospect  that  the  number  will  be  doubled. 
Looking  at  such  instances  of  unexampled  prosperity, 
it  cannot  be  questioned  that  ....  the  man  who  has 
enough  for  a  start  in  life,  in  casting  about  him  for 
the  most  promising  opening,  can  scarcely  do  better 
than  to  follow  the  terse  maxim  of  the  Chautauqua  sage. 
For  him,  it  means  comfort,  health,  happiness  and 
wealth.     For  the  great  commonwealth  which  invites 


IMMIGRANT  FARMERS  131 

him  it  means  internal  development,  intelligent  citizens, 
and  the  leading  place  upon  the  future  roll  of  States.^*^ 

How  extensively  Englishmen  of  the  better  class 
applied  themselves  to  grain  farming  and  stock 
raising  it  is  difficult  to  say:  in  February,  1881, 
they  already  owned  thousands  of  w^ell  improved 
acres,  had  expended  over  $500,000  in  Phinouth 
County,  and  many  had  ample  capital  in  reserve 
for  any  necessary  requirements.  And  the  Closes 
had  then  only  begun  to  bring  in  ''the  wealth  and 
brawn  of  merrie  England  to  this  garden  spot". 
Members  of  the  Close  colony  worked  their  own 
farms,  instead  of  letting  them  to  tenants,  hiring 
such  labor  as  they  required  at  an  average  for  the 
whole  year  of  about  $17.50  a  month  and  board. 
Contract  work  by  the  piece  was  also  largely  em- 
ployed, and  labor  was  plentiful. 

The  interesting  feature  about  the  little  city  of 
Le  Mars  that  early  gained  a  somewhat  exaggerated 
notoriety  throughout  the  United  States  and  Eng- 
land was  that  it  lay  at  ''the  center  of  a  colony  of 
500  wealthy  Englishmen,  many  of  them  of  noble 
blood,  w^ho  live  like  veritable  lords  and  spend  from 
$500  to  $600  a  month  for  their  common  living  ex- 
penses.'"^^  A  colony  of  such  generous  livers  was 
an  advantage  to  the  town,  and  so  it  grew  rapidly. 
Eighteen  miles  southeast  of  Le  Mars  at  Quom, 
upon  the  West  Fork  of  the  Little  Sioux  River, 


132  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

lived  William  B.  Close.  He  and  W.  Roylance 
Court,  Jr.,  owTied  a  two  thousand  acre  stock  farm, 
with  first  class  buildings  and  barns,  and  two  sheep 
cotes  each  one  hundred  feet  long.  With  the  help 
of  seven  pupils  ''growing  up  with  the  coimtry", 
they  cared  for  2000  sheep,  graded  in  from  thor- 
oughbred Cotswolds,  and  a  herd  of  hundreds  of 
Shorthorn  grade  cattle.  The  special  stock  farm 
of  James  and  Fred  Close,  also  assisted  by  seven 
pupils  under  tuition,  consisted  of  960  acres,  a 
three-story  frame  residence,  fine  stabling  for  thirty 
horses,  bams,  sheds,  storage  for  hay  and  grain, 
and  so  on:  their  live  stock  numbered  800  sheep, 
including  100  thoroughbred  Leicesters,  bucks  and 
ewes,  also  320  head  of  cattle,  and  over  200  Berk- 
shire and  Poland  China  hogs.  The  Closes  an- 
noimced  that  the  returns  from  their  three  stock 
farms  were  as  large  as  those  from  wheat,  and 
surer,  though  slower,  although  more  capital  was 
needed  to  carry  on  the  business."' 

The  English  colonists  seem  to  have  gone  exten- 
sively into  sheep  raising.  In  May,  1880,  the  Hon. 
Captain  Reynolds  Moreton  bought  an  improved 
farm  of  960  acres  one  and  one-half  miles  north- 
west of  Le  Mars.  Here  he  quickly  put  up  the 
finest  improvements  in  the  country,  such  as  a  two- 
story  seventeen-room  house  which  it  was  alleged 
cost  $20,000  and  two  commodious  bams  with  hay 


IMMIGRANT  FARMERS  133 

mows,  besides  comcribs,  cattle  yards,  pigpens, 
and  other  improvements.  He  owned  herds  of 
cattle  and  hogs  at  Dromore  Farm  numbering  two 
hundred  each,  and  Cotswold,  Oxford  Down,  and 
Manchester  Down  sheep,  including  twenty-five 
bucks  imported  from  England."*  Many  of  the 
English  settlers  found  a  good  run  for  sheep  along 
the  bluffs  near  the  larger  streams,  such  as  the  fine 
breezy  bluffs  of  the  Big  Sioux  River.  In  a  letter 
published  in  England  in  1879,  William  B.  Close 
made  a  long  statement,  the  first  and  last  para- 
graphs of  which  read  as  follows: 

I  cannot  imagine  more  perfect  runs  for  sheep  than 
those  afforded  by  the  Bluffs  near  the  larger  streams 
and  rivers.  These  bluff  lands,  too  rolling  and  hilly 
for  the  purpose  of  cultivation,  are  covered  with  the 
same  growth  of  grass  described  in  my  last  letter,  and 
closely  resemble  the  ''downs"  in  this  country,  so  well 
suited  to  sheep.  Sheep  are  remarkably  free  from  dis- 
eases, and  foot-rot  is  practically  unknown,  as  the  sheep 
have  always  dry  ground  under  them.  As  I  have  only 
had  sheep  one  year,  I  will  give  the  experience  of  some 
farmers  from  Holstein,  who  came  over  in  '74  with  a 
few  hundred  pounds  each,  and  are  now  the  most  well- 
to-do  of  their  class  in  their  county,  Crawford.  Hav- 
ing been  brought  up  as  shepherds,  and  to  the  business 
of  raising  and  fattening  sheep  for  the  Hamburgh- 
London  market,  they  have  given  their  attention  ex- 
clusively to  sheep  farming.  They  preferred  Cots- 
wolds  to  other  breeds  of  sheep,  as  affording  both  good 


134  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

wool  and  mutton.  Before  investing  in  sheep  myself, 
I  investigated  their  operations,  and  can  vouch  that 
the  figures  I  give  below  do  not  overstate  their 
success.  .  .  . 

It  will  thus  be  seen  how  very  profitable  sheep  can 
be  made  to  be  with  those  who  know  how  to  tend 
them.  Apart  from  their  fetching  a  good  price  for 
mutton,  wool  is  sold  in  Chicago  at  about  the  same 
price  it  realises  in  England,  and  yet  the  cost  of  keep- 
ing sheep  is  almost  nil  in  Iowa  as  compared  with  the 
cost  of  keeping  them  in  this  country."^ 

Because  the  winter  of  1880-1881  proved  to  be 
exceptionally  severe  and  some  English  farmers 
like  the  Hon.  A.  F.  Sugden  in  Arlington  Town- 
ship, Woodbury  County,  suffered  the  loss  of  hun- 
dreds of  sheep  in  blizzards  and  snowdrifts,  Captain 
Moreton  declared  this  first  misfortune  would  teach 
Englishmen  to  make  ample  preparation  for  feed- 
ing and  caring  for  their  stock  by  putting  up  ad- 
equate shelter  against  storms.  Of  twelve  thousand 
sheep  owned  by  the  colonists,  seven  thousand  pro- 
duced a  clip  of  wool  much  better  than  in  States 
farther  east.  Despite  losses,  substantial  profit 
attended  the  colony's  operations  during  the  first 
year  or  two,  and  at  least  one  observer  concluded 
that  *' every  one  is  or  ought  to  be  a  richer  man  for 
having  gone  to  Le  Mars.""" 

In  the  spring  of  1881  the  report  spread  far  and 
wide  that  nothing  but  success  had  crowned  the 


IMMIGRANT  FARMERS  135 

English  colony  at  Le  Mars.  One  writer'"  in  Eng- 
land asserted  that  whenever  perils  threatened  it, 
such  as  locusts,  drought,  storms,  or  falling  prices 
for  wheat,  he  hoped  that  the  ability  and  courage 
which  had  served  the  colonists  thus  far  would 
again  avail  them.  "Iowa",  he  declared,  *' relies 
on  the  diversity  of  its  products,  and  already  the 
colonists  are  devoting  their  attention  to  cattle  and 
sheep  rather  than  to  wheat."  Mixed  farming  or 
diversified  agi'iculture,  begun  with  modest  capital 
and  continued  with  industry  and  intelligence, 
promised  to  make  the  patient  farmer  wealthy. 

As  the  counties  of  northwestern  Iowa  then  lay 
upon  the  edge  of  the  open  range  or  cattle  ranch 
country,  one  advantage  to  stock  men  was  the  fact 
that  the  ''herd  law"  permitted  stock  to  run  at 
large  under  the  care  of  herders  during  the  spring 
and  summer.  There  being  no  fences,  a  boy  with 
a  pony  and  dogs  could  take  care  of  five  or  six 
hundred  head  of  cattle  or  1500  sheep  for  five  dol- 
lars a  month.'^^  That  this  region  long  remained 
open  to  such  a  custom  is  doubtful  since  the  coun- 
try improved  and  filled  up  rapidly  with  settlers, 
fences  enclosed  cultivated  fields,  and  prairie  grass 
became  scarcer  for  general  grazing  purposes. 

Dairjdng  seems  to  have  appealed  to  some  of  the 
immigrants  as  may  be  gathered  from  a  news  item : 

!Mrs.  Col.  Fenton  brought  to  tovra  fifty  pounds  of 


136  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

butter,  which  she  sold  to  Miller  &  Co.,  the  grocers,  for 
twenty-one  cents  per  pound.  The  only  thing  particu- 
larly worthy  of  note  about  this  transaction  is  the  f^ct 
that  this  lot  of  butter  was  the  first  manufactured  for 
sale  in  the  English  colony.  The  butter  was  of  prime 
quality.^**® 

Colonel  James  Fenton,  one  of  the  many  Scotch- 
men of  the  colony,  owned  a  thousand  acre  farm  in 
Henry  Township,  Plymouth  County,  and  early 
stocked  it  with  thoroughbred  imported  cattle  and 
well-bred  calves  and  heifers  selected  from  the  best 
Shorthorn  and  Hereford  herds  in  the  State,  thus 
makiQg  his  herd  at  Carlton  Stock  Farm  one  of  the 
most  valuable  in  the  whole  countryside.  James 
Birrell  Nicholson,  another  Scotchman,  with  the 
aid  of  his  sons  conducted  a  Shorthorn  and  Poland 
China  farm  of  five  thousand  acres."" 

James  B.  Warren  and  G.  C.  Maclagan  (the  lat- 
ter also  a  Scotchman)  purchased  a  splendid  two 
himdred  acre  stock  farm  just  west  of  Le  Mars, 
knowTi  as  Floyd  Farm,  which  they  sold  later  to 
the  Hon.  Ronald  Jervis  and  M.  R.  Margesson ;  and 
not  far  away  W.  McOran  Campbell  of  Tulliche- 
wan  Castle,  Dumbartonshire,  Scotland,  arrived  a 
little  later  to  look  after  a  famous  herd  of  Polled 
Angus  on  a  thousand  acre  farm  which  he  called 
the  Inchinnoch.  The  Paulton  brothers,  who  lived 
at  or  near  Orange  City  for  one  year,  bought  a 


IMMIGRANT  FARMERS  137 

place  two  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Le  Mars  in 
1881.  Arthur  Gee  owned  Westbourne  Farm.  Jack 
Wakefield  spent  his  time  raising  cattle  near  Seney. 
Alfred  Currie  Colledge  and  J.  H.  Preston  bought 
a  two  hundred  and  twenty-three  acre  farm  four 
miles  south  of  Le  Mars  and  named  it  Prestledge. 
A.  R.  T.  Dent  (a  son  of  Lady  Dent)  and  A.  Lang- 
ley  also  ran  a  '^plantation'';  while  A.  W.  Moore 
bought  five  hxmdred  acres  of  the  Close  brothers 
near  Correctionville.  G.  Garnett  and  H.  Rickards 
owned  Garrickdale  Farm  and  George  E.  Ward 
engaged  especially  in  the  breeding  and  importing 
of  Shorthorn  cattle  near  Hawarden ;  while  H.  Hill- 
yard  and  Charles  Kay  farmed  near  Ireton.  A 
dozen  miles  or  so  southeast  of  Sioux  City  Captain 
Barlow  of  Manchester  raised  a  large  establishment 
which  is  still  known  as  Barlow  Hall.  Herbert 
Cope  owned  Gypsy  Hill  Farm  in  Washington 
Township  and  Troscoed  just  west  of  Le  Mars."^ 
The  practice  of  naming  farms  was  introduced  into 
the  country  by  British  settlers,  and  it  was  not  un- 
common for  letters  to  come  to  the  United  States 
from  England  addressed  to  such  farms  without 
the  name  of  the  post  office."^ 

So  greatly  did  the  English  and  Scotch  colonists 
interest  themselves  in  blooded  stock  that  the  Close 
brothers,  James  Fenton,  Colledge  and  Preston, 
Lord  Hobart,   Captain   Moreton,   and  Reginald 


138  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Moreton  at  different  times  won  prizes  and  pre- 
miums at  the  county  fair  on  horses,  cattle,  sheep, 
and  poultry/^^  The  new  settlers  took  pride  in  such 
matters  and  were  constantly  importing  thorough- 
breds from  England.  Thus,  William  B.  Close  ob- 
tained for  the  Albion  stables  Elsham,  reputed  to 
be  the  highest  bred  stallion  in  Iowa  in  his  day. 
Bought  by  Frank  C.  Cobden  from  Edmund  Tatter- 
sall,  the  winner  of  more  Derbys  than  any  other 
man,  this  animal  was  described  as  follows: 

He  is  as  highly  bred  an  animal  as  can  be  found  any- 
where, and  a  perfect  beauty.  He  is  a  bay  and  stands 
sixteen  hands  high,  weighs  eleven  hundred,  and  has 
every  point  of  equine  excellence  known  to  horsemen. 
He  was  sired  by  Knowsley  (by  Stockwell  out  of  Gen 
Peel's  dam)  out  of  Violet  (by  Voltiguer-Garland  by 
Langar),  a  pedigree  which  old  whips  appreciate.  But 
Elsham  needs  no  famous  ancestry  to  win  admiration, 
for  a  mere  glance  at  him  shows  every  inch  a  horse, 
and  all  that  a  horse  should  be."* 

It  was  at  Sioux  City  that  Elsham  won  a  first 
prize  as  the  best  thoroughbred  and  another  for 
the  best  get  of  five  colts. 

Coach  horses  also  made  their  appearance;  but 
running  horses  naturally  enough  came  to  be  the 
special  concern  of  the  younger  members  of  the 
colony.  The  profits  of  farming  were  all  well 
enough,  but  dear  to  every  English  heart  were  out- 
door sports.    Fond  of  racing  by  temperament  and 


IMMIGRANT  FARMERS  139 

training,  the  physically  fit,  athletic,  vigorous  type 
of  Britisher  found  the  taste  of  cowboy  life  upon 
the  edge  of  the  free  range  cattle  country  just  what 
he  wanted  for  his  favorite  recreation  w^as  usually 
riding.  Poultney  Bigelow,  the  famous  journalist, 
told  of  his  visit  to  the  English  colony  at  Le  Mars 
and  pictured  the  life  there  in  glowing  terms: 

The  young  men  who  make  up  this  community  are, 
for  the  most  part,  graduates  of  Oxford  or  Cam- 
bridge/" On  one  farm  I  met  two  tall  and  handsome 
young  farmers  whose  uncle  had  been  a  distinguished 
member  of  Parliament.  The  last  time  I  had  seen  them 
was  in  a  London  drawing-room.  This  time  they 
tramped  me  through  the  mud  and  manure  of  the  barn- 
yard to  show  me  some  newly  bought  stock.  They 
were  boarding  with  a  Dutch  farmer  at  three  dollars 
per  week  in  order  to  learn  practical  farming.  Both 
were  thoroughly  contented,  and  looking  forward  to 
the  future  with  pleasure. 

Another  young  farmer  whom  I  noticed  on  horse- 
back with  top-boots,  flannel  shirt,  sombrero,  and  belt- 
knife,  was  pointed  out  to  me  as  the  grandson  of  the 
author  of  Paley's  Theology.  He  w^as  attending  a 
cattle  auction  at  Le  Mars,  Iowa. 

There,  too,  was  a  son  of  Thomas  Bayley  Potter,  the 
distinguished  honorary  secretary  of  the  Cobden  Club, 
and  M.  P.  for  Eochdale,  who  had  come  out  only  to 
take  a  look  at  the  place,  but  who  so  fell  in  love  with 
the  life  that  he  decided  to  invest.  One  had  been  an 
admiral  in  the  royal  nav>',  another  had  been  connected 
with  a  Shanghai  bank.    There  was  a  brother  to  Lord 


140  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Ducie,  not  to  speak  of  future  baronets,  viscounts,  and 
honorables.  These  young  men  had  all  been  attracted 
here  by  their  love  of  a  free,  active  life,  and  the  knowl- 
edge that  thej^  would  enter  a  society  congenial  to  their 
tastes  and  early  associations  .... 

They  have  the  very  best  ground  for  fox  hunting  in 
the  world  —  a  rolling  prairie  with  a  creek  here  and 
there.  Every  colonist  makes  it  his  chief  care,  after 
buying  his  farm,  to  breed  a  good  hunter  for  the 
steeple-chases.  They  have  regular  meets  for  fox  or 
"paper"  hunts,  as  the  case  may  be.  They  last  year 
opened  a  racing  track,  and  wound  up  the  races  with 
a  grand  ball.^^" 


XIII 
FARM  PUPILS  IN  THE  ENGLISH  COLONY 

During  his  visit  to  England  in  1880,  it  is  said, 
William  B.  Close  had  a  conference  with  the 
famous  Commoner,  John  Bright,  and  gained  his 
support  for  a  scheme  which  had  *^  happily  suggest- 
ed itself  to  the  Closes" :  they  determined  to  accept 
young  men  as  farm  pupils  for  a  fixed  compensa- 
tion, just  as  in  England  yoimg  men  were  taken 
into  a  barrister's  ofi&ce  or  chambers."^  And  so  the 
Closes  imdertook  to  receive  on  their  own  stock 
farms  a  certain  number  of  newcomers,  show  them 
all  they  themselves  had  done,  and  help  them  to 
avoid  pitfalls  in  their  dealings  with  local  farmers 
and  land  agents  until  they  were  ready  and  able  to 
make  a  start  for  themselves."^ 

These  young  ''gentleman"  pupils,  according  to 
an  eye-witness,  were  made  to  plow,  drive  cattle, 
and  perform  every  sort  of  farm  labor."^  At  the 
end  of  a  year  they  were  presumed  to  be  introduced 
to  the  mysteries  of  western  farming  and  qualified 
to  buy  land  for  themselves  and  ''employ  one  or 
two  experienced  hands  to  look  after  their  affairs." 

Generally  speaking,  "the  young  gentleman  em- 

141 


142  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

igrant'*,  a  product  peculiar  to  England,  had  two 
courses  open  upon  arrival  in  Iowa :  either  he  could 
hire  out  to  the  ordinary  American  farmer  for  his 
keep  and  possibly  a  small  wage  from  the  start ;  or 
he  could  "board  in  the  family  of  people  of  his  own 
social  grade  and  education  and  have  much  the 
same  comforts  and  refinements  he  would  have  at 
home,  say  in  a  farm-house  of  the  better  class  or 
in  a  quiet  country  vicarage,  with  the  social  ad- 
vantages pertaining  to  that  style  of  life."""  For 
an  American  it  is  not  difficult  to  judge  which  alter- 
native appealed  to  a  member  of  the  English 
** gentleman"  class. 

Early  in  1881  the  Closes  were  reported  as  hav- 
ing some  three  hundred  boys  under  tuition  for 
farming  or  stock  raising.  However  exaggerated 
that  newspaper  statement  may  be,  Robert  Benson 
of  London  testified  that  the  system  had  on  the 
whole  worked  much  better  than  could  have  been 
expected,  **  considering  that  many  of  the  new- 
comers came  out  with  somewhat  extravagant  no- 
tions, and  were  as  ignorant  of  how  to  hold  their 
own  in  matters  of  business  as  they  were  of  prac- 
tical farming.'""  In  a  letter  penned  from  Eng- 
land in  1921  William  B.  Close  writes  of  the  young 
men  who  came  to  Le  Mars: 

I  offered  for  the  sum  of  £25  to  give  all  advice  in 
England  as  to  going  out ;  to  get  cheap  first-class  trans- 


FAEM  PUPILS  143 

portation  by  the  White  Star  Line  (and  I  may  mention 
the  rate  was  £12  in  those  days) ;  that  my  brothers 
Fred  and  James  would  meet  the  newcomer  at  Le  Mars, 
find  him  a  place  on  a  farm  where  he  could  learn  some- 
thing about  the  conditions  in  the  country;  and  to  buy 
160  acres  of  land  for  him  without  any  commission  if 
required,  engaging  to  see  that  he  got  good  land  and 
title. 

I  was  young  and  I  did  not  know  what  I  was  doing, 
for  although  we  had  some  splendid  fellows  join  us, 
yet  a  number  of  parents  seized  the  opportunity  of 
loading  on  to  us  sons  and  relatives  that  were  an  em- 
barrassment to  them  here,  and  who  never  would  make 
good,  so  we  had  our  hands  full,  as  you  may  imagine. 
In  addition  we  took  some  pupils  on  a  stock  farm  we 
had,  but  never  had  any  trouble  with  those  boys. 
Amongst  others  who  came  there  was  Almeric  Paget, 
now  Lord  Queenborough,  who  married  Miss  Whitney 
of  New  York,  William  Farquhar,  Sir  Basil  Thomp- 
son, and  others. 

Some  of  the  £25  boys  behaved  very  badly  indeed. 
They  got  money  from  their  parents,  spent  it  in  riotous 
living,  and  then  to  shield  themselves,  wrote  home  that 
Close  Brothers  had  invested  their  money  and  lost  it. 
A  Bishop 's  son  was  the  worst  among  them !  The  con- 
sequence was  that  I  found  that  stories  affecting  our 
credit  were  being  spread  about  in  England.  I  had 
great  difficulty  in  hunting  up  the  source  of  these 
stories,  and  we  had  an  unhappy  time.  The  Field 
Newspaper  having  heard  some  of  these  rumours,  and 
doubting  anyone  of  our  standing  could  be  doing  what 
rumours  said  we  were  doing,  sent  out  a  correspondent 


144  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

of  theirs  who  knew  the  West  of  America,  Mr.  To\\ni- 
send  who  wrote  for  their  paper  as  **St.  Karnes".  He 
arrived  at  Le  Mars  one  day  without  disclosing  his 
identity.  He  mixed  "vsith  the  boys  at  the  Club,  and 
he  asked  about  Close  Brothers,  but  could  get  nothing 
definite.  He  spent  two  weeks  in  trying  to  follow  up 
any  clew  as  to  our  not  having  acted  fairly  with  the 
boys.  I  did  not  even  know  he  was  there  making  in- 
quiries, when  one  day  he  w^alked  into  our  oflfice,  asked 
to  see  me,  told  me  who  he  was,  told  me  the  reason  he 
had  come,  and  said  he  could  find  not  a  single  thing  to 
back  up  the  wicked  rumours  that  had  been  spread  in 
England  by  those  two  or  three  wretched  boys,  and  he 
wrote  a  long  article  to  the  Field  describing  the  whole 
colony,  and  saying  that  if  he  formed  a  colony  as  he 
thought  he  might,  he  would  follow  on  the  precise  lines 
of  Close  Brothers  and  Company. 

S.  Nugent  Townshend,  the  gentleman  referred  to 
by  Mr.  Close  had  come  from  southeastern  Kansas 
"rather  prepossessed  than  otherwise  against  the 
Le  Mars  settlement,  and  prepared  to  pity  the 
young  fellows";  but  he  left  it  "envying  them  their 
good  fortime  and  their  surroimdings ".  In  cor- 
respondence despatched  to  England  he  described 
the  system  as  he  encountered  it  on  the  farm  per- 
haps most  noted  for  its  pupils,  or  "pups"  as  they 
were  called  by  the  Americans : 

Captain  Moreton  is  a  father  to  the  Colony,  a  good 
religious  man,  \vith  great  influence  over  all  the  young 
fellows.    He  farms  about  one  thousand  acres  near  the 


FARM  PUPILS  145 

town,  and  has  twenty-two  young  fellows  with  him,  on 
the  same  principle  as  the  Close  pupils,  and  these 
Moreton  boys  are  taken  specially  good  care  of;  but, 
of  course,  admission  to  the  captain's  establishment  is 
not  an  easy  matter  to  procure.  His  boys  do  all  the 
w^ork  of  the  farm.  Lord  Hobart,  when  I  was  there, 
was  mowing,  assisted  by  two  of  Lord  St.  Vincent's 
sons,  and  the  lion,  captain  was  feeding  a  thrashing 
machine.  It  was  hot,  but  everyone  looked  happy,  even 
young  Moreton,  who  was  firing  and  driving  the  steam 
engine.  And  again  the  picnic  aspect,  despite  the  real 
hard  and  remunerative  work,  struck  me  irresistably. 
I  had  a  long  chat  with  Capt.  Moreton  on  new  be- 
ginners in  the  United  States,  and  he  said  half  the 
breakdowns  were  in  consequence  of  drink  and  bad 
food.  No  young  English  gentleman  could  work  hard 
on  a  diet  of  beans  and  bacon,  such  as  he  gets  in  the 
house  of  the  Western  American  farmer.  So  the 
captain  keeps  a  generous  table,  and  his  boys  are 
certainly  a  credit  to  his  system;  clear-eyed,  bronzed, 
and  muscular,  in  the  highest  health  and  spirits.  How 
much  more  sensible  and  useful  lives  they  live  here 
than  they  would  do  if  at  home.^" 

Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  Americans  to-day, 
vacancies  for  boarders  and  pupils  on  some  of  the 
best  farms  in  the  English  colony  were  widely  ad- 
vertised in  the  old  country.  One  pamphlet  opens 
with  Mr.  Townshend's  pleasant  picture  of  the 
landscape  around  Le  Mars: 

English  farm-houses  dot  hill-sides  near  and  far;  a 
few  poplar-like  cottonwood  trees  grow  well  as  shade 


146  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

and  shelter  for  these  homesteads;  and  on  the  gentle 
hills  to  the  north,  surrounded  by  large  steadings,  heavy 
clustering  clumps  of  cottonwood,  and  splendidly 
farmed  fields,  dominates  the  residence  of  the  Hon. 
Capt.  Moreton  (brother  to  the  Earl  of  Ducie)  .  .  .  ."^ 

But  even  from  this  pleasant  scene,  where  Lord 
Harris  was  expected  in  a  few  days  to  revive  the  high- 
est standard  of  cricket,  I  must  go  and  trot  westward. 

Farm  after  farm  —  this  English,  that  English,  the 
next  English  —  we  pass,  and  at  length  draw  bridle 
at  the  end  of  twenty  miles,  to  find  ourselves  at  the 
door  of  the  wonderfully  comfortable  house  of  Mr. 
White  Marsh.  We  had  driven  through  hay  to  the 
horse's  knees  on  this  property  for  some  time;  fairly 
good  looking  sheep  dotted  the  hill  some  half-a-mile 
off,  and  everything  had  the  air  of  solidity  and  com- 
fort so  pleasing  and  unusual  to  see  in  a  new  State. 
Mr.  White  Marsh  was  then  an  absentee;  so  on  the 
backward  trail  we  put  up  at  his  neighbour's,  Messrs. 
Eller,  who,  with  Mr.  De  Moleyns,  had  asked  us  to 
dinner.  English  servants,  English  cooking,  and  thor- 
ough English  neatness  and  cleanliness  characterised 
this  property  also.  The  Messrs.  Eller  had  adopted 
the  Close  system  of  leasing  for  one  year,  on  share  of 
produce,  such  of  their  land  as  they  were  not  easily 
able  to  work  themselves  at  first;  and  this  plan  is 
certainly  a  very  commendable  one.  But  now  this  letter 
has  run  its  full  descriptive  course,  a  course  the  length 
of  which  can  only  be  justified  by  the  fact  that  it  will 
interest  at  least  twelve  hundred  parents^**  of  six  hun- 
dred of  some  of  the  finest  and  noblest  boys  in  or  out 
of  England.     Very  few  indeed  —  not  more   than  1 


FARM  PUPILS  147 

per  cent.  —  **by  the  wayside  fell  and  perished"  in 
Le  Mars  colony.  I  will  not  exactly  say  that  the 
Messrs.  Close  have  selected  the  place  where  most 
money  is  to  be  made  at  corn-gro\sdng  and  cattle-fat- 
tening, and  their  move  further  north  is,  in  my  opinion, 
a  move  in  the  wrong  direction,  for  the  winters  are 
cruelly  severe  here  as  it  is ;  but  I  will  say  that  money 
can  be  made,  and  pleasantly  made,  and  20  per  cent, 
can  fairly  be  expected  to  be  realised  on  the  original 
investment  after  three  or  four  years  here.  The  climate 
is  healthy  for  man  and  beast.^" 

The  interesting  pamphlet  from  which  the  above 
quotation  is  taken  fails  to  name  the  English  gentle- 
men who  desired  pupils,  but  quotes  at  length  from 
their  letters  giving  the  necessary  particulars  for 
the  enlightenment  of  parents  and  sons  in  England. 
One  stock  farmer  w^rote: 

My  house  is  a  wooden  one,  as  almost  all  houses  are 
here,  whether  large  or  small.  I  have  two  sitting 
rooms,  seven  bedrooms,  and  a  bath  room  with  hot  and 
cold  water;  every  room  is  heated  by  a  flue  from  the 
furnace  in  the  cellar.^^^ 

Another  *' experienced  practical  farmer '^  in 
April,  1881,  wanted  two  more  pupils  to  fill  the 
places  of  two  who  had  left  to  start  farms  of  their 
own :  on  his  1500  acres,  with  1500  sheep,  300  head 
of  cattle,  and  100  hogs,  he  would  be  glad  to  re- 
ceive two  young  fellows  who  were  ''prepared  to 
work:  imder  20  years  of  age  preferred:  and  to 


iT' 


148  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

take  an  interest  in  the  affair,  or  I  would  rather 
be  without  them/''*'  The  son  of  an  English  country 
vicar  also  listed  vacancies  for  two  pupils  on  his 
farm,  adding: 

Pupils  would  have  5000  acres  to  see  managed,  which 
we  cut  up  into  15  farms.    Land  is  worth  about  30s  to 
40s  per  acre,  and  should  a  young  fellow  give  his  mind 
to  the  work  after  he  has  seen  the  American  ways  for 
\iV^;-  a  year  or  so,  he  could  either  buy  or  rent  a  farm  and 

■^^  go  into  stock  raising,  or  hogs,  either  will  pay  about 

"' .  k^  pt&BT,  cent.  Chicago  is  our  great  stock  market,  so 
we  are  always  sure  of  a  good  market.  I  have  a  very 
exjjerienced  American  foreman,  who  would  give  in- 
structions in  the  various  ways  and  means  of  farming 
in  the  Far  West.  The  life  is  rough,  and  no  one  ought 
to  come  who  cannot  stand  roughing  it  at  times.  Shoot- 
ing—  wild  geese,  duck,  rabbit,  prairie  hens,  prairie 
wolf,  deer,  and  many  small  birds.  Outfit  —  good 
strong  clothes,  saddle  and  gun;  boots  bought  out  here 
are  more  suited  to  the  country  ....  I  may  say  we 
have  out  here,  Hon.  Capt.  Moreton,  brother  to  the 
Earl  of  Ducie,  Hon.  A.  Sugden,  Col.  Fenton,  A.  Lub- 
bock, son  of  Sir  J.  Lubbock;  and  many  others,  about 
300  English  Gentlemen  in  all."' 

Some  Englishmen  who  wanted  pupils  procured 
for  them  in  England  furnished  photographs  of 
their  farms.  The  owner  of  a  large  stock  and 
agricultural  farm  situated  ^^one  mile  from  a  rising 
town  in  the  English  Colony"  offered  excellent 
board,  lodging,  and  tuition  for  gentlemen  wishing 


FAEM  PUPILS  149 

to  study  American  methods,  and  wrote  to  his  agent 
in  England  as  follows: 

I  have  a  farm  partly  leased,  partly  in  my  g^sti 
hands,  under  my  manager,  of  743  acres  ....  It  is  a 
large  hog  and  cattle  farm,  managed  under  the  best 
and  newest  methods,  and  mth  all  the  best  machinery, 
shedding,  stabling  and  yards,  as  used  in  that  country. 
There  is  an  excellent  house,  well  sheltered,  and  in  the 
prettiest  situation  in  the  district.  I  have  put  on  an 
addition  solely  for  the  use  of  pupils  wishing  to  learn 
farming  before  commencing  for  themselves.  My 
manager  Mr. has  sole  control  of  the  farm- 
ing operations,  and  his  wife  looks  after  the  house. 
He  's\ill  give  all  opportunity  to  pupils  wishing  to  learn 
farming  to  do  so,  and  give  them  every  advice  he  can, 
but  he  cannot  be  in  any  way  responsible  to  parents  or 

guardians  for  young  men  who  do  not  care  to  work 

The  class  of  men  I  would  like  to  see  on  my  place  is 
such  as  would  work  for  their  own  sake,  and  who 
would  do  credit  to  anything  they  learnt  on  the  farm, 
by  getting  on  well  afterwards  .... 

We  have  a  great  many  English  gentlemen  settled  in 
the  Le  Mars  district,  and  going  out  there  you  would 
find  no  lack  of  society,  and  at  the  same  time  find  your- 
self in  one  of  the  best  districts  of  the  States  for  in- 
vesting in  land  for  farming,  or  as  many  young  fellows 
have  done,  for  opening  up  a  business  in  the  town.  A 
flax  mill  and  a  paper  mill  are  both  wanted  there  at 
present,  and  there  are  no  end  of  openings  for  starting 
in  various  ways.  My  place  has  the  advantage  of  be- 
ing so  near  the  to'VNTi  that  one  can  find  out  all  that  can 


150  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

be  learnt  of  the  district,  and  yet  get  the  advantage  of 
living  in  the  country.  You  can  study  farming  and 
yet  look  into  other  industries  too.  ...  I  have  about 
300  acres  arable,  and  100  acres  enclosed  pasture  in 
my  own  hands  at  present,  and  of  course,  as  in  all  that 
country,  unlimited  free  grazing. 

You  will  see  by  the  situation  of  my  property  that  it 
is  very  well  situated  as  a  central  position  for  studying 
the  country  and  gaining  information.  I  know  many 
trustworthy  gentlemen  out  there  too,  who  would  give 
any  young  men  I  introduce  to  them,  perfectly  dis- 
interested information  and  advice  on  any  subject  they 
might  wish  information  on  ...  .  You  will  see  by  the 
elevated  plan  of  the  yards  [photographs  of  the  farm 
were  furnished]  that  they  are  well  above  the  river, 
though  not  far  from  it,  the  House  is  well  sheltered 
from  the  north  by  a  fine  young  wood  and  a  very  high 
thick  willow  hedge  behind  it."^ 

T.  a.  Mellersh  of  Cheltenham,  England,  in  1881 
prepared  for  distribution  a  twelve  page  pamphlet 
advertising  "vacancies  for  boarders  and  pupils", 
adding  a  note  that  "several  gentlemen  and  young 
fellows  from  the  Public  Schools  intend  going  out 
early  next  spring  to  the  English  Colony  in  Iowa, 
and  Southern  Minnesota";  but  he  published  no 
tuition  terms,  not  even  in  the  letter  he  received 
from  a  man  who  lived  in  England: 

My  brothers  ....  have  now  a  large  farm  of  their 
own,  where  they  raise  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs.  At  first 
only  two  went  out,  but  they  reported  so  well  upon  it. 


FARM  PUPILS  151 

that  the  third  joined  them  last  year  (1880),  and  I 
learn  from  them  by  letters  received  this  week,  that 
(having  got  over  the  longest  and  severest  winter  ever 
known  in  the  West)  they  look  forward  to  a  successful 
and  profitable  year  ....  For  any  pupil  going  to  them 
£ —  are  to  be  paid  ....  When  he  reaches  Iowa  he  can 
stay  a  month  on  my  brother's  farm,  to  see  whether  he 
likes  the  life,  etc ;  if  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  decides 
upon  remaining  a  further  sum  of  £ — is  to  be  paid. 
This  will  entitle  him  to  a  year's  residence  with  my 
brothers,  with  whom  he  will  live  precisely  as  one  of 
themselves,  and  will  be  taught  everything  necessary 
to  become  a  stock  raiser  himself  ....  At  the  end  of 
his  year's  residence,  should  he  wish  to  buy  a  farm  for 
himself,  my  brothers  w^ill  themselves  give  him  all  the 
benefit  of  their  experience  as  regards  choice  of  site, 
price  of  land,  authenticity  of  the  deeds  (a  most  im- 
portant point),  &c.,  and  will  also  when  he  has  settled 
down  help  him  in  every  way  with  advice,  etc.,  to  be- 
come successful.^®" 

The  farm  pupil  idea,  novel  and  picturesque  as 
it  seems  to-day,  necessarily  aroused  considerable 
curiosity  among  the  American  population  in  every 
part  of  northwestern  Iowa.  When  a  party  of 
twenty-five  young  Englishmen  arrived  in  1882,  six 
of  them  as  pupils  for  Captain  Moreton,  a  Le  Mars 
editor  observed  that  the  city  and  county  were  be- 
coming the  headquarters  of  *'the  very  pick  and 
flower  of  immigration  from  Great  Britain,  a  fact 
that  exasperates  our  rivals  not  a  little/'    At  the 


152  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

same  time,  the  system  also  evoked  criticism. 
People  in  England  believed  that  a  tuition  charge 
on  American  pioneer  farms,  though  only  half  as 
high  as  in  England,  was  ridiculous,  dishonest,  and 
imjustified  because  the  pupil  did  enough  work  to 
earn  his  board  and  lodging.  In  stating  and  answer- 
ing this  sort  of  argument,  one  writer  declared: 

I  have  frequently  heard  people  allude  to  gentlemen 
of  unexceptionable  position,  living  in  comfort  in 
America  or  the  Colonies,  who  take  pupils  into  their 
families  at  moderate  premiums,  as  if  they  were  a 
species  of  swindler.  This  arises,  I  fancy,  from  a  com- 
mon misconception  that  all  farmers  in  America  are 
upon  the  same  social  plane  and  live  in  the  same  style ; 
that  they  are  all  burning  with  anxiety  for  the  com- 
pany and  responsibility  of  young  Englishmen  whom 
they  never  saw,  and  who  as  a  class  have  not  unfor- 
tunately in  these  countries  a  very  good  name,  who 
have  never  done  a  day's  work  in  their  lives,  have  not 
the  remotest  notion  of  how  to  set  about  a  single  farm- 
ing operation,  and  may  quite  possibly  turn  out  both 
idle  and  dissipated. 

Such  novices,  ^*  gently-nurtured,  inexperienced, 
soft-handed",  when  set  to  doing  chores  such  as 
fetching  cows,  cleaning  stables,  cutting  wood,  and 
other  menial  things  imbecoming  an  English  gentle- 
man, could  hardly  be  expected  to  be  always  *'on 
the  jump".  Reared  as  the  sons  of  squires  and 
parsons,  and  just  out  of  school,  how  could  they 


FARM  PUPILS  ^  153 

handle  plows,  axes,  and  machinery  satisfactorily? 
Pupils  in  general,  according  to  one  reliable  ob- 
server, were  a  nuisance,  a  liability,  a  burden  to 
their  employers.  Of  course  they  did  some  work, 
but  even  on  that  score  an  employer  would  shake 
his  head  with  a  grim  smile.  On  his  side  he  would 
point  to  ''damage  and  risk  of  damage  to  horses 
and  machinery,  a  very  real  and  ever  present  diffi- 
culty among  pupils,  and  the  risk  of  getting  a  black 
sheep  who  cannot  at  such  a  distance  be  shipped  off 
at  a  moment's  notice  as  in  England,  and  for  whose 
baneful  presence  no  money  can  adequately  com- 
pensate.'"" 

Nor  was  mifavorable  criticism  confined  to  Eng- 
lish people :  Americans  also  looked  askance  at  the 
farm  pupil  system."^  How  long  it  lingered  among 
English  farmers  in  Iowa  is  not  easy  to  state ;  but 
by  the  month  of  August,  1882,  the  Close  brothers 
at  least  had  completely  abandoned  it  as  both 
troublesome  and  unprofitable.  Some  indication  of 
the  character  of  the  system  and  one  of  its  im- 
fortunate  after  effects  may  be  gathered  from  a 
new^s  item  on  the  subject  published  at  Le  Mars  in 
1885: 

A  suit  of  some  interest  to  our  English  friends  has 
just  been  terminated  in  the  court  of  Queen's  Bench, 
London.  Action  for  libel  was  brought  about  a  j^ear 
ago  against  the  Edinburgh  Scotsman  by  Henry  Shear- 


154  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

man  for  republishing  a  letter  from  the  Chicago  Herald 
in  reference  to  plaintiff's  so-called  "farming  school" 
in  southern  Minnesota.  Mr.  Shearman  claimed 
$50,000  damages  from  the  Scotsman  but  after  over  a 
year  spent  in  collecting  testimony  the  case  was  finally 
dismissed.  Mr.  Shearman's  philanthropic  scheme  was 
to  send  out  to  this  country  young  men,  sons  of  Eng- 
lish gentlemen,  and  secure  for  them  openings  as  farm- 
ers in  southern  Minnesota  and  other  parts  of  the 
state.  A  fee  of  60  to  75  guineas  was  exacted  from  the 
'^ pupils,"  as  they  were  called,  to  insure  them  the 
same  positions  as  the  heads  of  families  on  selected 
farms.  Shearman  issued  circulars  of  a  very  attractive 
character  showing  the  desirability  of  the  positions  he 
proposed  to  secure  for  his  "pupils,"  and  had  his 
agents  over  here,  who  received  his  "pupils"  and  con- 
ducted them  to  their  farms.  The  pupils,  upon  arriv- 
ing, found  that  they  were  treated  as  mere  farm  labor- 
ers, doing  the  meanest  and  most  menial  work,  and 
getting  less  than  the  farm  laborers*  wages.  The  case 
was  called  before  Baron  Pollock  of  the  court  of 
queens'  bench,  and  a  special  jury,  in  the  latter  part  of 
February,  and,  upon  motion  of  defendant's  counsel, 
dismissed  with  costs,  the  plaintiff  not  being  prepared 
for  trial."' 

Stories  and  yams  of  the  doing  of  the  *'pups" 
still  circulate  freely  in  and  about  Le  Mars:  un- 
hitching heavy  draft  horses  out  in  the  field  to  in- 
dulge in  a  running  race  with  side  bets,  shooting 
at  their  master's  prize  steers  and  pet  hogs,  riding 
pell-mell  into  town,  doing  every  kind  of  ordinar\^ 


FAEM  PUPILS  155 

farm  work  in  the  crudest,  most  ludicrous  way,  wild 
and  boisterous  wherever  they  went  —  all  that 
and  much  more  supplied  widespread  amusement 
among  their  rough-and-ready  Yankee  neighbors 
for  many  years  to  come. 

It  was  enough  to  make  some  people  smile  when 
Captain  Moreton  advertised  in  English  papers 
that  he  would  teach  thirty  yoimg  men  the  science 
of  farming  for  the  sum  of  $600  each  per  year; 
they  stood  amazed  when  scores  of  young  men  of 
the  well-to-do  middle  classes  and  even  the  younger 
sons  of  British  noblemen  flocked  over  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  such  and  similar  offers  until  Le  Mars 
had  in  its  vicinity  "several  hundreds  of  these  boys 
who  could  not  tell  a  plow  from  a  pumpkin". 
Americans  roared  with  laughter  or  the  more  puri- 
tanical ones  looked  on  with  long  faces  when  the 
fun  began :  the  boys  would  do  little  dribs  of  work, 
and  make  up  for  it  by  mounting  their  ponies  in 
true  wild  west  style,  dash  into  town  in  cavalcades, 
and  ** paint  the  place  a  rip,  staring  red." 

But  the  farm  pupil  system  was  not  without  its 
permanent  effects  on  the  community:  it  brought 
money  into  circulation  and  tradesmen  reaped  a 
golden  harvest.  Many  of  the  lads  were  spend- 
thrifts, and  all  had  remittances  from  home;  Le 
Mars  accordingly  experienced  a  boom  of  no  mean 
proportions.    Fine  business  blocks  sprang  up  as 


156  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

if  by  magic ;  immigration  poured  in ;  the  town  be- 
came the  center  of  commerce  for  a  vast  area  for 
miles  aroimd;  and  Le  Mars  obtained  a  striking 
individuality  of  its  own. 


XIV 

IOWA  ENGLISHMEN  AND  THE  RUGBY 
COLONY 

About  the  tim6  that  the  Close  brothers  founded 
the  English  settlement  in  Phnnouth  County, 
Thomas  Hughes,  the  author  of  Tom  Brown's 
Schooldays,  helped  found  Rugby  in  eastern  Ten- 
nessee. There,  upon  lands  tilled  by  slaves  before 
the  Civil  War,  rose  small  farmsteads  in  the  hands 
of  graduates  from  the  famous  English  public 
school  of  Rugby;  there,  as  in  Iowa,  the  younger 
sons  of  the  English  gentry  apprenticed  themselves 
to  the  earlier  holders  of  land  until  they  in  their 
turn  acquired  land  and  became  'Hhe  gentlemen 
farmers  of  the  future."  The  Rugby  colony  thus  re- 
sembled the  Le  Mars  settlement,  at  least  in  its  plan. 

Hughes  roused  some  opposition  among  his 
countrymen :  why  did  he  not  show  his  patriotism 
by  going  to  Canada,  and  why  did  he  prefer  the 
South  to  Iowa  or  other  western  States  ?  Canada, 
he  answered,  was  too  far  from  England,  and  be- 
sides it  had  long  winters  and  no  variety  of  occupa- 
tions. And  as  for  the  American  West,  *' droughts, 
flies,  difficulties  of  drainage,  and  from  five  to  six 

157 


158  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

months'  enforced  idleness,  so  far  as  agriculture  is 
concerned,  had  to  be  considered.'"®* 

The  Tennessee  experiment  was  eagerly  watched 
by  the  English  of  Le  Mars.  Early  in  the  year  1881 
they  heard  that  the  colonists  had  been  cheated, 
that  their  land  was  worthless,  and  that  their  com- 
mimity  would  be  transplanted  to  Minnesota."'  A 
few  months  later  came  the  tidings  of  the  death  of 
Philip  Nairn  (once  a  member  of  the  Le  Mars 
colony)  and  of  the  raging  of  a  typhoid  epidemic 
at  Rugby.  When  the  collapse  of  the  colony  was 
announced  in  February,  1882,  its  boys  were  urged 
to  come  to  Le  Mars  '*bag  and  baggage";  but  at  the 
end  of  the  year  Rugby""  still  occupied  its  place  on 
the  map,  with  a  population  of  two  hundred,  **the 
majority  of  w^hom  spend  their  time  in  hunting  and 
playing  billiards."  As  owners  of  nearly  30,000 
acres  of  land,  the  English  settlers  of  Tennessee 
were  reputed  to  be  cultivating  only  fifty  acres; 
and  shortly  aftei^ward  they  mortgaged  their  tract 
to  the  extent  of  £20,000.  * '  What  a  vivid  contrast ' ', 
remarks  a  Le  Mars  editor,  **  Rugby  presents  to  our 
own  rushing,  pushing,  thriving,  bustling  Plymouth 
Colony!"  The  pitiful  condition  of  things  in  that 
region  in  1883  caused  the  same  writer  to  pen  the 
following  excellent  editorial  on  ''Our  Penniless 
Yomig  Gentlemen": 

An  anxious  inquiry  has  lately  been  raised  in  some 


THE  RUGBY  COLONY  159 

of  the  more  thoughtful  of  journals  in  England  as  to 
what  was  to  become  of  the  large  class  there  of  penni- 
less young  gentlemen :  the  younger  sons  of  the  gentry, 
well-built,  well-educated,  clever  young  fellows  whose 
fathers'  moderate  income  goes  to  the  elder  son  and 
as  dower  to  the  daughters.  The  outlook  in  England 
is  so  utterly  bare  for  these  lads  that  the  only  alter- 
native now  suggested  is  between  trade  and  a  regiment 
of  which  the  privates  shall  be  the  sons  of  gentlemen. 
The  objection  made  to  the  latter  course  is  the  life  of 
enforced  idleness  in  an  inferior  position  and  to  the 
first  the  social  degradation.  The  experiment  of  Kug- 
by,  in  Tennessee,  as  we  all  know  was  some  people's 
safety-valve  for  this  social  difficulty,  and  the  sons  of 
the  gentry  came  to  it  in  large  numbers,  to  play  tennis 
and  to  drink  and  lounge  in  the  Tabard  Inn.  The 
place  is  now  left  to  a  few  hard-working,  uneducated 
men  who  will  succeed  in  the  end.  But  the  penniless 
young  gentry  are  no  better  off  than  before. 

The  result  among  the  young  Englishmen  who  have 
flocked  to  northwestern  Iowa  stands  out  in  striking 
contrast  to  that  of  those  who  mustered  at  Rugby. 
They  belonged  to  the  same  class,  brought  with  them 
similar  habits  and  like  expectations,  and  were  counter- 
parts of  the  young  gentlemen  who  settled  in  Tennes- 
see. Among  them  was  an  inconsiderable  quota  of  dis- 
sipated and  lalh-de-dah  young  fellow^s,  some  of  whom 
have  paid  the  penalty  of  their  weakness,  though  most 
of  them  have  profited  by  the  rugged  experiences  which 
all  who  will  live  in  this  region  must  pass  through. 
"We  have  now  a  flourishing  English  colony  in  this 
region,  composed  of  intelligent  industrious  young  men. 


160  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

They  have  acquired  a  taste  for  business  and  enjoy 
themselves  as  much  as  any  Hawkeye  can,  in  develop- 
ing a  farm  or  driving  a  bargain.  AVe  have  room 
enough  in  the  all-absorbing  West  for  all  the  gritty 
young  fellows  in  England  who  are  ambitious  to  live 
to  some  purpose.  They  "vsdll  find  ample  scope  for 
their  energies  on  these  undeveloped  prairies,  but  they 
must  know  that  the  price  of  success  is  —  attention  to 
business. 

An  English  writer  a  few  years  later  gave  his 
estimate  of  the  results  of  the  emigration  of  ''yomig 
gentlemen"  and  alleged  that  upon  the  whole  Eng- 
land might  well  feel  proud  of  them.  That  many 
bemoaned  their  lot  and  returned  home,  cursing  the 
coimtry  and  every  one  connected  with  it  and  mini- 
mising their  own  share  in  the  failure  to  succeed; 
that  many  brought  disgrace  and  ridicule  to  them- 
selves and  their  country  was  not  surprising  when 
one  considered  the  variety  of  material  that  of 
necessity  made  up  the  exodus;  but  the  fact  re- 
mained "that  the  gently  nurtured  of  this  nation 
cheerfully  imdertake  and  show  a  fair  measure  of 
success  in  a  career  which  would  appal  the  equiva- 
lent class  in  any  other  country  in  the  world.'"" 


XY 

FAME  OF  THE  LE  MARS  COLONY 

When  the  Close  brothers  had  once  embarked  up- 
on their  scheme  of  promoting  northwestern  Iowa, 
and  by  reason  of  their  prominent  connections  in 
England  induced  Englishmen  of  wealth  and  posi- 
tion to  act  upon  their  representations,  the  news- 
papers of  Le  Mars  missed  no  opportunity  to  let 
the  reading  public  know  all  about  the  enterprise 
to  the  last  detail.  Almost  every  week  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  they  chronicled  the  arrival  of  immi- 
grants from  England  and  introduced  them  by 
name  to  the  Yankee  inhabitants  of  city  and 
country.  Thus,  in  the  spring  of  1884  came  a 
** jolly  company  of  yoimg  men":  M.,  R.,  and  H. 
P.  Margesson,  R.  and  E.  FuUbrook,  A.  Bower,  W. 
Edsell,  G.  Morris,  R.  Stanhope,  and  M.  Farquhar. 
One  interesting  account,  **  Immigrants  in  Broad- 
cloth", reads  as  follows: 

A  rare  sight  indeed  is  the  Lemars  depot  on  the 
arrival  of  fresh  accessions  to  the  English  Colony.  The 
new  comers  confound  all  our  knowledge  and  estab- 
lished traditions  of  immigrants,  for  immigrants  in- 
deed they  are.    They  descend  from  the  recesses  of  the 


161 


162  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Pullman  palace  cars  dressed  in  the  latest  London  and 
Paris  styles,  with  Oxford  hats,  bright  linen  shining 
on  their  bosoms,  a  gold  repeater  ticking  in  the  depths 
of  their  fashionably  cut  vest  pockets  and  probably 
carrying  in  their  hands  the  latest  agony  in  canes.  If 
ladies  accompany  the  party  their  graceful  forms  are 
shrouded  in  the  most  elegant  of  cloaks  or  dolmans, 
their  heads  being  surmounted  by  the  most  coquettish 
of  bonnets  and  their  fresh  countenances  beam  with 
the  ruddy  glow  of  health  and  good  nature.  The  chil- 
dren, too,  look  as  if  they  had  just  stepped  out  of  a 
band-box  and  nowhere  among  young  or  old  is  there 
a  hint  of  travel-stained  weariness  or  poverty. 

The  scene  at  the  baggage  car  is  as  peculiar.  Stout 
Japanned  and  heavy  leathern  boxes  and  trunks  are 
tossed  on  the  platform  by  the  inveterate  baggage- 
smasher,  who  seems  to  make  a  final  effort  to  render 
their  seemingly  invulnerable  joints.  Box  after  box, 
trunk  after  trunk,*"*  until  a  miniature  mountain  has 
been  built  on  the  platform.  We  recall  an  instance 
last  summer  of  a  single  family  that  had  eighty-two 
pieces  of  baggage,  all  of  the  strong  and  desirable 
variety. 

They  are  by  no  means  so  dainty  as  they  seem.  In 
a  day  or  two  the  men  are  seen  on  the  streets  with  the 
plainest  of  stout  corduroy  suits,  with  knee-breeches 
and  leather  leggings.  Great,  strong,  hardy-looking 
fellows  they  are,  and  though  most  of  them  are  fresh 
from  the  English  schools  and  universities,  they  have 
plenty  of  muscle  and  snap.  We  doubt  whether  any 
little  town  in  the  great  West,  since  its  settlement  be- 
gan, ever  received  any  considerable   installment   of 


FAME  OF  THE  LE  MARS  COLONY  163 

such  ''immigrants''  as  may  be  seen  almost  any  day 
dropping  off  at  the  union  depot  in  Lemars. 

The  question  will  be  asked,  What  kind  of  settlers 
for  a  new  country  do  these  dainty  and  wealthy  looking 
persons  make!  and  the  answer  is,  the  best  in  the 
world."" 

The  Le  Mars  press  faithfully  chronicled  the  do- 
ings of  the  promoters  and  of  the  ''colonists"  them- 
selves every  time  news  items  of  the  personal  type 
could  be  discovered,  nothing  of  interest  escaping 
the  vigilant  local  reporters  even  of  that  day;  and 
since  one  paper  boasted  of  a  mailing-list  that  in- 
cluded England,  Ireland,  Scotland,  France,  and 
Germany,^""  its  "colony"  news  gained  some  cur- 
rency abroad,  though,  of  course,  not  as  much  as 
in  American  journals.  Newspapers  throughout 
Iowa  contributed  plenty  of  publicity  to  the  sub- 
ject; nor  were  they  careful  to  omit  an  element  of 
exaggeration,  as  the  following  illustration  bears 
witness : 

So  great  has  become  ithe  importance  of  this  ex- 
clusively English  colony  that  an  office  both  in  Le  Mars 
and  London  are  necessary  to  conduct  its  business. 
The  caste  feeling  is  said  to  be  very  strong,  and  none 
are  admitted  but  the  pure  bloods  of  wealth  and  char- 
acter. Any  number  of  Lords  are  now  scattered  over 
PljTnouth  and  Sioux  counties.  If  they  all  have  [the] 
energy  and  vim  of  the  Close-  Brothers  they  will  make 
northwestern  Iowa  blossom  like  the  rose.^°^ 


164  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

A  correspondent  writing  from  Le  Mars  guaran- 
teed that  a  visit  to  the  English  community  (he 
does  not  state  how  widely  scattered  and  indefinite 
it  was,  with  American  farmers  and  townspeople 
in  the  region  at  all  times  more  numerous)  *' would 
almost  convince  one  that  he  was  in  England,  so 
completely  do  the  customs  of  that  nation  pre- 
dominate.''^"^ Another  Iowa  newspaper  enthu- 
siastically informed  its  readers : 

A  large  proportion  of  the  settlers  are  English  — 
drawn  from  the  great  middle  classes  of  the  mother 
country  —  men  of  brawn  and  brains,  of  cash  and 
credit,  of  labor  and  Ufe.  These  people  are  settling 
here  by  scores,  hundreds  and  thousands.  They  all 
have  money,  and  are  all  enterprising,  shrewd,  and  full 
of  resources.  In  a  short  time  they  will  own  the  whole 
country,  and  under  their  hands  it  will  blossom  like 
a  garden.*"^ 

A  much  more  moderate  pen  picture  of  Le  Mars 
and  its  immigrant  arrivals  appeared  at  Dubuque, 
although  the  correspondent's  eulogy  of  Germans 
and  Teutons  as  a  useful  type  of  settler  probably 
fits  the  Hollanders  who  had  been  going  to  Orange 
City  in  large  numbers  for  at  least  a  decade : 

The  most  notable  feature  of  this  place  is  the  in- 
cessant flow  of  foreign  immigration  to  it  —  English, 
Germans  and  some  Hibernians,  too.  It  is  a  sight  as 
amusing  as  it  is  novel  to  our  natives,  who  have  never 
been  abroad  or  spent  any  time  in  any  of  our  principal 


FAME  OF  THE  LE  MAES  COLONY     165 

seaport  cities,  to  witness  those  people  as  they  alight 
from  the  trains  at  the  depot  move  through  the  streets 
in  groups  and  congregate  around  the  hotels  and  public 
places  distinctly  exhibiting  ''by  the  cut  of  their  jib" 
their  respective  colors  (nationality),  with  leather  leg- 
gings of  the  Englishman,  and  the  Teutons.    I  saw  one 
of  the  latter,  who  had  room  enough  in  the  seat  of  his 
pants,  if  such  they  might  be  called,  to  hold  a  fair  sized 
balloon,  and  as  he  exposed  himself  to  the  fresh  breeze 
that  was  blowing,  I  thought  of  him  only  as  a  balloon 
and  the  perilous  ascent  which  he  might  suddenly  be 
called  upon  to  make,  much  against  his  will  and  far 
above  his  ambition.     But  his  covering  was  too  open 
all  around  for  dangerous  inflation  so  he  did  not  go 
up  but  stood  safely  anchored  to  the  ground  with  a 
monster  pair  of  wooden  shoes.    With  his  toggery  and 
the  habiliments  which  covered  his  wife  and  four  chil- 
dren he  could  furnish  sail  enough  for  a  small  sized 
ship,  and  I  am  sure  their  wooden  shoes  would  answer 
the  purpose  of  life  boats  in  an  emergency.    Yet  with 
all  their  grotesque  appearance  one  of  them  is  worth 
more  in  the  market  of  utility  than  a  ship  load  of 
your  fashionable  society  folks  who  would  not  be  taught 
the  noble  art  of  production  while  they  are  self  taught 
and  excel  in  the  simple  knack  of  consumption.    Yes, 
these  same  Teutons  are  welcomed  settlers  here,  and 
are  just  the  kind  of  material  to  develop  a  new  country. 
The  English  colony  in  town  and  country  now  num- 
bers between  four  and  five  hundred  against  less  than 
two  hundred  one  year  ago,  and  it  is  thought  will  reach 
a  thousand  before  another  year  shall  have  expired .... 
The  growth  of  this  town  is  remarkable.  Its  population 


166  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

has  increased  over  thirty  per  cent  since  the  last 
government  census  was  taken,  and  should  it  continue 
at  this  rate  for  another  year,  and,  it  is  believed  it 
wiU,  the  population  will  not  fall  short  of  four  thou- 
sand.=°* 

Outside  the  State  of  Iowa,  the  press  of  St.  Paul, 
Minnesota,  made  its  readers  well  acquainted  with 
**the  New  England  of  the  Northwest"  not  only  by 
reason  of  rail  connections,  but  also  because  the 
settlers  of  that  part  of  Iowa  were  expected  to  look 
to  St.  Paul  as  a  market  for  their  cattle  and  grain 
and  to  its  merchants  for  their  supplies.  The 
Pioneer  Press^''^  took  especial  interest  in  the  tide 
of  emigration  to  Le  Mars,  and  its  fame  among  the 
better  classes  of  Old  England  which  had  con- 
tributed men  of  known  character  and  large  re- 
sources such  as  **Capt.  the  Hon.  Reynolds  More- 
ton,  R.  N.,  who  is  a  brother  of  the  earl  of  Ducie 
Lord  Hobart,  the  future  earl  of  Buckinghamshire 
the  son  of  Admiral  Sir  Sidney  Dacres,  K.  C.  B. 
the  two  sons  of  Admiral  Farquhar  of  the  Royal 
British  navy;  a  son  of  Sir  John  Lubbock,  the 
member  of  parliament  for  the  city  of  London ;  the 
son  of  Lord  Alfred  Paget;  R.  Potter,  the  son  of 
the  president  of  the  Cobden  club,  and  others  of 
equally  honorable  connections  and  high  blood." 

A  New  York  paper  called  attention  to  the  fact 
that  the  United  States,  besides  being  an  asylum 


FAME  OF  THE  LE  MARS  COLONY  167 

for  the  oppressed  of  all  nations,  was  attracting  at 
Le  Mars  the  wealth  and  affluence  of  England  *Ho 
our  fertile  lands  and  business  advantages  as  ample 
opportunities  for  productive  investments.'""^  Be- 
sides telling  about  the  500  young  Englishmen, 
nearly  all  unmarried,  who  had  settled  near  Le 
Mars,  an  organ  of  public  opinion  at  Chicago  pub- 
lished the  address  of  Mr.  Walter,  member  of  Par- 
liament and  proprietor  of  London's  greatest  news- 
paper, after  his  return  to  London  from  a  visit  in 
the  West.  With  his  wife  and  daughter  *'The 
Thunderer",  as  he  was  called,  had  attended  a 
party  given  at  Le  Mars  by  Fred  Brooks  Close  on 
the  evening  of  October  5,  1881,  in  honor  of  his 
marriage  with  Miss  Margaret  Humble.  Speaking 
to  English  farmers  on  the  occasion  of  the  annual 
dinner  of  the  Abingdon  Agricultural  Society,  he 
mentioned  the  names  of  the  gentlemen  who  had 
emigrated  to  Iowa  because  he  was  ^'firmly  per- 
suaded that  America  will  become  more  a  field  of 
enterprise  for  thousands  of  young  English  gentle- 
men farmers  and  other  classes  of  people.'"'"^ 

Under  the  heading,  ''Young  Man,  Go  West", 
one  of  the  most  widely  read  and  popular  maga- 
zines"""^  of  the  time  published  Poultney  Bigelow's 
account  of  a  visit  to  Le  Mars  in  1880  and  the 
colony  of  about  three  hundred  Englishmen  who 
had  undertaken,  ''with  moderate  capital  and  in- 


168  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

finite  pluck,  to  build  up  their  fortunes  in  this 
country."  The  writer  had  carefully  examined 
northwestern  Iowa,  and  he  gave  'Hhe  dollars  and 
cents"  of  farming  in  that  region  as  an  evidence  of 
its  wonderful  future.  The  Le  Mars  Sentinel  in 
reprinting  his  article  and  referring  to  his  "calm 
and  judicial  language"  declared  editorially: 

Plymouth  county  is  rapidly  arresting  the  attention 
of  men  everywhere,  and  those  who  examine  it  most 
minutely  are  best  satisfied  that  it  is  the  most  desirable 
region  of  cheap  lands  in  America,  for  investment  and 
settlement.  When  the  leading  magazines  and  journals 
in  the  world  are  presenting  its  claims  on  the  attention 
of  both  capital  and  labor,  we  may  rest  assured  that  it 
has  merits  of  no  ordinary  character.  He  who  owns 
a  farm  in  Plymouth  county  owns  a  fortune,  and  there 
are  still  fortunes  in  Northwestern  Iowa  for  100,000 
enterprising  families.  But  they  are  being  rapidly 
appropriated  and  they  who  would  have  them,  must 
secure  them  soon. 

During  its  **boom"  days  Le  Mars  claimed  the 
unique  distinction  of  being  better  known  in  Great 
Britain  than  any  other  city  of  the  United  States. 
This  resulted,  of  course,  not  only  from  the  fact 
that  the  Close  brothers  and  their  fellow  colonists 
were  men  of  high  social  position  in  the  old  coun- 
try, but  also  from  the  wide  publicity  given  to  their 
enterprise.  The  pamphlet''°*  printed  in  several 
editions  by  the  Closes  found  its  way  to  the  best 


'FAME  OF  THE  LE  MARS  COLONY  169 

circles;  while  letters  to  the  editors  of  well-known 
English  newspapers  and  articles  in,  magaziries 
gave  the  ''Gateway",  as  Le  Mars  was  called  by  its 
American  denizens,  a  fame  out  of  all  proportion 
to  the  number  of  Britishers  who  had  availed  them- 
selves of  residence  within  its  borders.  All  these 
writiQgs,  like  Poultney  Bigelow's  article,  had  one 
characteristic  in  common :  they  described  agricul- 
ture and  the  live  stock  industry  in  Iowa,  but- 
tressed with  figures,  percentages,  and  tabular  out- 
lines, thus  constituting  a  convincing  form  oif 
propaganda. 

Writing  for  an  English  magazine,  Robert  Ben- 
son informed  the  English  people  of  the  success  of 
the  conmiunity  planted  in  Iowa,  basing  it  not  so 
much  on  the  pleasures  of  the  life  as  on  the  finan- 
cial profits  already  accrued:  he  gave  "an  accurate 
account  of  the  results  obtained  through  four  years' 
labour'*  in  contrast  with  the  estimates  of  others. 
After  alluding  to  the  university  and  public  school 
men  who  had  followed  the  lead  of  the  Closes,  Ben- 
son frankly  pointed  out  some  of  the  discomforts 
which  necessarily  attended  settling  in  a  new 
country : 

It  is  not  everyone,  for  instance,  who  can  endure 
with  equanimity  the  complete  absence  of  good  ser- 
vants unless  imported  from  England,  or  not  to  have 
his  boots  blacked  except  for  an  extra  payment  cf  ten 


170  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

cents,  or  to  get  nothing  but  tea  and  coffee  to  drink, 
and  that  none  of  the  best,  and  only  salt  pork  badly 
cooked  to  eat,  when  off  the  beaten  track.  Moreover, 
the  natives  of  the  country,  when  travelling,  whether 
to  inspect  land  or  to  buy  stock,  and  stopping  for  the 
night,  as  the  custom  is,  at  the  nearest  farm  house,  for 
a  charge  of  25  cents,  as  if  it  were  an  inn,  sleep  two 
in  a  bed,  and  do  not  wash ;  and  an  Englishman  would 
give  great  offence  who  refused  to  conform  to  the  first 
part  at  least  of  the  custom,  if  the  lack  of  accommoda- 
tion made  it  necessary.  Nor  again  does  Iowa  enjoy 
the  equable  cold  of  the  ''isothermal'*  region.  It  does 
not  matter  how  many  degrees  below  zero  the  thermom- 
eter is,  if  only  it  is  perfectly  still,  and  the  sun  is 
shining.  But  Iowa  is  liable,  occasionally  in  the  win- 
ter, to  wind  and  low  temperature  combined,  and  then 
if  one  be  delicate,  there  is  nothing  for  it  but  to  stay 
in  houses  which  are  well  buUt  and  warm.^" 

C.  W.  Benson,  a  partner  of  the  Close  brothers 
in  England,  sent  a  lengthy  communication  to  a 
Manchester  newspaper"^  playing  up  the  remark- 
able advantages  of  English  emigration  to  Iowa, 
his  object  being  to  illustrate  what  could  ** still  be 
done  by  people  who  go  out  prepared  to  put  their 
hearts  and  heads  into  farming  in  Western  Amer- 
ica.'* Articles  such  as  these  had  a  wide  circulation 
in  the  British  Colonies,  and  afforded  excellent 
copy  for  the  press  in  Canada.''"  Amusingly  dif- 
ferent, however,  was  a  letter  from  Le  Mars  to 
Manchester   composed  by  a  young   Englishman 


FAME  OF  THE  LE  MARS  COLONY  171 

who,  after  relating  his  adventures  as  a  duck- 
hunter,  dashed  *Svith  refreshing  kittenishness  in- 
to the  great  hired-girl  problem"  and  made  ''some 
surprising  discoveries  in  social  science",  when  he 
wrote : 

Now  as  to  the  ** helps,"  though  they  don't  call  their 
mistress  ''Mum,"  yet  they  are  kept  in  perfect  sub- 
jection. Of  course,  among  men  the  tinker  and  tailor 
call  one  by  one's  surname,  or  even  by  one's  Christian 
name  if  he  happens  to  know  it.  To  that  you  get  used. 
Also  in  hotels  all  dine  together,  the  working  man  and 
the  swell.  To  us  English  it  is  wonderful  how  civil  all 
Yankees  are,  nothing  could  be  too  good  for  us.  They 
opened  doors  for  us,  carried  our  bags  and  never  took 
a  "tip"  during  our  travels;  but  there  the  English, 
as  a  rule,  carry  revolvers  and  now  and  then  use  them, 
which  creates  respect."^^ 

A  liB  Mars  editor  asked  if  *'the  callow  swell" 
was  "a  saphead,  or  is  he  only  trying  to  come  Mark 
Twain  on  his  English  friends?" 

London's  greatest  newspaper  opened  its  columns 
to  writers  interested  in  the  Le  Mars  project;  and 
its  owner,  Mr.  Walter,  after  a  visit  to  his  country- 
men in  Iowa,  did  not  hesitate  to  acquaint  every- 
one with  what  he  saw.  In  the  course  of  an  after- 
dinner  speech  Mr.  Walter  declared: 

And  what  I  want  to  impress  upon  you  is  that  it  is 
exceedingly  desirable  in  the  interests  of  agriculture 
generally  that  in  all  the  English  counties  there  should 


172  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

be  a  certain  body  of  men  able  to  advise  neighbors  who 
are  about  to  start  for  that  part  of  the  world.  [Hear^ 
hear.]  And  I  would  like  to  exhort  you  who  are  not 
too  old  to  try  the  experiment  of  my  Lincolnshire 
friends,  not  to  buy  land  —  that  is  the  last  thing  I 
would  recommend  —  without  twelve  months'  experi- 
ence, but  to  go  out  first  and  see  the  country  and  be- 
come the  fore-runners  of  others.  If  there  be  any  here 
who  would  be  the  Caleb  and  Joshua,  I  should  be  very 
glad  to  give  them  hints.  [Hear,  hear.]  Farmers 
couldn't  do  better  than  form  an  association  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  country  to  enable  people  to  go  out 
and  judge  for  themselves.  That,  I  believe,  is  what 
Mr.  Pell  and  his  friends  who  went  out  to  America  a 
few  years  ago  are  doing.  You  may  depend  upon  it 
that  any  Englishman  going  there  who  is  a  good  judge 
of  land,  who  is  steady,  and  industrious,  and  not  afraid 
of  a  rigorous  climate,  may  commence  a  course  of  life 
which  will  make  him  prosperous  and  wealthy  before 
he  is  50  years  of  age.*" 

Had  all  the  Englishmen  whom  he  encountered 
at  I^e  Mars  stuck  to  their  enterprise,  IVIr.  Walter's 
prophecy  would  have  come  very  near  realization. 

England  *s  weekly  purveyor  of  humor,  Pimch/^^ 
saw  its  chance  for  a  joke  at  the  expense  of  the 
emigrants  at  Le  Mars.  It  presented  a  half-page 
cartoon  depicting  two  handsome  maids  in  the 
midst  of  preparing  a  meal  in  the  kitchen.  One  of 
them  holds  an  uncovered  steaming  sauce  pan  and 
the  other  is  tending  a  leg  of  mutton  suspended  in 


FAME  OF  THE  LE  MARS  COLONY     173 

a  high  round  stove  which  stands  over  hot  coals  on 
the  floor.  To  the  right  are  two  athletic  men  just 
coming  in  from  work,  with  shovels,  picks,  and 
spades  upon  their  shoulders:  one  of  them  gazes 
hungrily  at  the  food  while  the  other,  a  man  with 
heavy  mustache  and  side  whiskers,  wipes  the  sweat 
from  his  manly  brow.  Under  the  cartoon  head- 
ing, *' Colonising  in  Iowa,  U.  S.",  appears  the 
parenthetical  explanation,  **A  Hint  to  the  Young- 
er Sons  of  our  Aristocracy,  and  eke  to  the  Daugh- 
ters thereof".    The  following  dialogue  ensues: 

Lady  Maria  —  How  late  you  are,  boys:  your  baths 
are  ready,  and  I've  mended  your  dress  trousers,  Jack. 
So  look  sharp  and  clean  yourselves,  and  then  you  can 
lay  the  cloth,  and  keep  an  eye  on  the  mutton  while 
Emily  and  I  are  dressing  for  dinner. 

Lord  John  —  All  right.  How  many  are  we  to  lay 
for? 

Lady  Emily  —  Eight.  The  Talbots  are  coming,  and 
Major  Cecil  is  going  to  bring  the  Duke  of  Stilton, 
who's  stopping  with  him. 


XVI 

BUSINESS  AND  PROFESSIONAL  LIFE  IN 
THE  ENGLISH  COLONY 

Although  most  of  the  Englishmen  who  took  up 
residence  in  northwestern  Iowa  went  to  farming 
either  for  themselves  or  as  pupils  or  farm  laborers 
for  others,  some  preferred  to  find  work  in  neigh- 
boring towns,  even  when  they  owned  land  in  the 
country.  It  is  manifestly  impossible  to  know  what 
all  these  men  did,  but  the  following  account  may 
be  taken  as  typical  of  what  they  set  their  hands 
and  heads  to.^" 

Besides  the  three  Close  brothers  and  Con  Ben- 
son, who,  as  already  related,  did  so  much  every- 
where to  bring  untilled  soil  under  cultivation  and 
sold  it  in  vast  quantities,  many  more  engaged  in 
other  lines  of  business.  John  Hopkinson  and 
Fred  Paley  formed  a  partnership  to  do  a  com- 
mission business;  and  when  the  former  became 
steward  for  the  Close  farms  in  Osceola  County, 
Paley  continued  with  J.  C.  Brockbank  who  had 
dissolved  a  partnership  with  Frank  C.  Cobden. 
The  latter  erected  a  fine  brick  block  in  Le  Mars. 
Montague  J.  Chapman  set  up  as  a  general  insur- 

174 


BUSINESS  AND  PROFESSIONAL  LIFE  175 

anee  agent  and  later  with  H.  Rickards  advertised 
insurance,  real  estate  and  loans,  the  Floyd  sale 
yard,  feed  stables,  and  stock  sheds. 

W.  Gladstone  was  a  steamship  agent  at  Sibley. 
Robert  Grouse  and  Sydney  Milne  maintained  a 
business  partnership  until  the  latter 's  death  at 
Hot  Springs.  Herbert  Cope,  an  old  resident  of 
China,  sold  tea  specially  selected  and  shipped  to 
him  directly  by  old  friends  in  China  and  Japan, 
and  for  several  years  he  was  advertised  to  the 
public  as  ''tea  importer'*  so  that  English  residents 
of  the  country  could  not  have  lacked  their  favorite 
afternoon  beverage. 

Maclagan,  Warren,  and  Watson  built  a  large 
sale  yard  and  did  a  general  commission  business. 
James  Brough  Warren  sold  his  Floyd  Meat  Mar- 
ket with  its  roast  beef  for  Englishmen  and  went 
to  Larchwood  to  take  charge  of  the  Sykes  estate. 
A.  W.  Maitland  served  as  Captain  Moreton's  pri- 
vate secretary.  The  English  owners  of  the  Le 
Mars  Pork  Packing  House  with  a  capacity  of  four 
hundred  hogs  a  day  wxre  Roberts,  Frost,  and 
Heaphy,  but  for  a  time  they  killed  on  only  one 
day  a  week.  Mr.  Frost,  once  a  London  "bobby", 
also  shipped  live  stock  and  grain  from  Merrill. 
J.  H.  Grayson  joined  John  Morgan  in  brick  mak- 
ing. Leuric  Charles  Cobbe,  Charles  Eller,  and 
Alfred  H.  Paget  bought  the  soap  factory  of  Frost 


176  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

and  Company  and  are  said  to  have  brought  to  the 
business  **the  vigor  and  sagacity  and  at  the  same 
time  the  conservative  tendencies  of  the  commercial 
classes  of  England  where  they  received  their  train- 
ing." The  Le  Mars  Land  and  Stock  Feeding  Com- 
pany was  capitalized  at  $125,000  with  Captain 
Moreton  as  president  in  May,  1884,  other  English- 
men also  taking  stock. 

Dr.  J.  Twidale  began  practice  at  Le  Mars 
in  March,  1882,  his  professional  card  reading: 
"Bachelor  of  Medicine,  Master  in  Surgery,  Licen- 
tiate in  Midwifery,  University  of  Edinburgh, 
Scotland."  He  does  not  appear  to  have  tarried 
long;  nor  did  Howard  F.  Deakin  who  arrived  in 
the  spring  of  1884  as  ** barrister  to  practise".  W. 
Thomson,  a  son  of  the  Archbishop  of  York,  after 
spending  a  while  at  Quorn  Farm,  decided  to  go 
into  law  at  Sioux  City.  Somewhat  later  ''an  Eng- 
lish C.  Q.  S.  (1st  class)  "  sought  an  engagement  as 
tutor  in  a  family  for  the  winter.  W.  G.  Harcourt 
Vernon  began  his  career  as  bank  cashier  at  Kings- 
ley  in  1884  and  afterw^ards  went  to  Sioux  City. 
Charles  Mylius  entered  a  bank  at  Dalton,  and 
afterwards  owned  the  Sioux  City  Planing  Mill 
before  going  back  to  the  old  family  place  on  the 
shores  of  Lake  Como,  Italy.  Gr.  C.  Maclagan  and 
Henry  J.  Moreton  worked  as  cashiers  in  the  bank 
at  Le  Mars,  the  latter  now  being  engaged  in  the 


BUSINESS  AND  PROFESSIONAL  LIFE  177 

grain  business  at  Minneapolis.  A.  C.  CoUedge, 
who  also  resides  in  the  Flour  City,  still  has  a  real 
estate,  insurance,  loan,  and  collection  business  in 
charge  of  Adair  Colpoys  at  Le  Mars. 

Tom  Dealtry,  once  a  Moreton  **pup'',  and  later 
buyer  of  grain  and  stock  at  Maurice  in  Sioux 
County,  is  now  with  Woods  Brothers  at  Sioux 
City ;  while  his  neighbor  and  former  Rugby  school- 
mate, Henry  H.  Drake,  who  worked  a  farm  for 
several  years,  is  now  employed  by  Armour  and 
Company.  Percy  E.  Prescott,  for  many  years  a 
resident  of  Sioux  County  and  popular  starter  of 
horse  races  at  the  annual  fair,  has  in  recent  years 
o\^Tied  and  managed  the  Palace  Dray  Line  at 
Sioux  City.  Richard  Latham  is  a  reporter  on  the 
Sentinel  at  Le  Mars,  where  also  Frederick  K.  Veal 
and  G.  A.  C.  Clarke  of  the  early  comers  may  still 
be  found,  the  former  0A\Tiing  a  lumber  yard."^ 


XVII 
A  STORY  OF  COAL 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  absence  of  two 
things  in  particular  retarded  the  settlement  of  the 
open  prairies  of  the  Middle  West:  lack  of  fuel 
and  lack  of  transportation.  Although  the  larger 
streams  and  crude  highways  and  timber  lands 
enabled  the  pioneers  to  surmount  these  difficulties 
to  some  extent  in  eastern  and  southern  Iowa,  long 
hauls  to  market  by  wagon  or  by  water  left  much 
to  be  desired  until  the  railroads  came.  In  the 
prairie  counties  of  northwestern  Iowa  the  earliest 
pioneers  were  compelled  to  set  up  their  homes 
along  or  near  the  streams  in  order  to  have  easy 
access  to  the  scanty  wood  supply  of  the  region, 
while  later  settlers  made  weary  journeys  to  dis- 
tant places  for  the  fuel  necessary  to  tide  them  over 
the  bitter  cold  of  winter. 

The  coming  of  a  railroad  changed  all  this ;  and 
when  several  roads  of  steel  cut  across  the  land,  the 
problems  of  transportation  and  lack  of  fuel  were 
largely  solved  together.  In  time  the  planting  of 
groves  upon  the  farmsteads  also*  helped  to  produce 
a  fair  supply  of  firewood ;  but  even  so,  the  need  of 

178 


A  STORY  OF  COAL  179 

cheaper  coal  than  railroads  could  possibly  bring 
from  the  Des  Moines  Valley  or  from  Illinois  was 
always  present.  Expensive  fuel  became  a  great 
drain  on  the  resources  of  the  farmers :  mines  right 
on  the  spot  would  mean  greater  prosperity  for  the 
farmers  and  rapid  industrial  development  as  well. 
Accordingly,  it  was  not  uncommon  for  county 
boards  of  supervisors  to  encourage  the  search  for 
coal  deposits.  In  Plymouth  County  the  board 
made  a  standing  offer  of  $500  in  1873,  $1000  in 
1875,  and  $5000  in  1884  for  the  discovery  of  a 
paying  coal  mine."* 

It  was  in  the  year  1880  that  the  Hon.  Reynolds 
Moreton,  captain  for  nine  years  of  a  British  war- 
ship and  brother  of  the  Earl  of  Ducie,  emigrated 
from  England  with  his  family  and  arrived  in  Le 
Mars  with  the  fixed  purpose  to  make  the  West  his 
home.  One  mile  northwest  of  town  lay  the  farm 
of  O.  A.  ^loore.  It  so  pleased  the  Captain's  eye 
that  he  became  the  purchaser  at  what  was  then  re- 
garded as  a  fabulous  figure  —  thirty-four  dollars 
per  acre.  Perched  on  the  most  elevated  spot  of 
this  farm  stood  a  large,  carefully  cultivated  grove, 
and  within  its  shelter  stood  a  neat  little  dwelling 
from  which  the  owner  could  enjoy  a  commanding 
view  of  Le  Mars  and  a  landscape  that  stretched 
for  miles  up  and  do\Mi  the  valley  of  the  Floyd 
River. 


180  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

On  this  farm  Captain  Moreton  soon  erected  a 
fine  mansion  and  made  extensive  arrangements  to 
go  into  stock  raising :  yards,  sheds,  and  barns  were 
built  and  everything  put  in  shape  for  business. 
But  there  was  one  great  drawback  —  a  lack  of 
water.  Wells  were  dug  and  windmills  raised  with- 
out accomplishing  satisfactory  results.  The  Cap- 
tain made  up  his  mind  that  the  only  way  to  secure 
an  abundant  and  constant  supply  w^as  to  sink  an 
artesian  well  at  any  cost.  Possessed  of  **a  full 
quota  of  the  proverbial  tenacity  and  pluck  of  the 
typical  Englishman",  the  Captain  in  the  spring  of 
1882  let  a  contract  for  the  work."' 

On  the  summit  of  the  bluff  in  his  stockyard,  a 
derrick  was  raised,  steam  engines  planted,  and 
boring  began.  In  due  time  the  rumor  spread  that 
at  a  depth  of  225  feet  the  contractor.  Col.  Strait, 
had  struck  a  five-foot  vein  of  coal,  a  big  bonanza. 
The  Captain  insisted  that  the  quantity  had  been 
overrated:  it  might  be  a  pocket.""  Needless  to 
say,  these  doings  at  Dromore  Farm  merited  news- 
paper mention,  and  **busy  tongues  whispered  to 
willing  ears"  what  they  had  learned  on  good 
authority.  The  solid,  sensible  men  of  the  com- 
munity, who  had  been  through  several  mining 
sensations  and  had  no  faith  in  any  such  trumpery, 
**  smiled  sympathizingly  at  the  ready  credulity 
with  which  the  story  was  received  by  gossips"  — 


A  STORY  OF  COAL  181 

they  knew  better.  It  was  finally  conceded,  how- 
ever, that  at  a  depth  of  three  hundred  feet  a  three- 
foot  vein  had  been  perforated.  Moreover,  it  was 
reported  that  analysis  of  a  sample  of  the  coal 
showed  a  larger  percentage  of  carbon  than  any 
coal  hitherto  discovered  in  lowa!"^ 

Captain  Moreton's  attention  was  naturally 
diverted  from  water  to  coal.  The  twofold  question 
in  his  mind  and  in  the  minds  of  many  others 
could  be  none  other  than  whether  they  had  struck 
a  mine  or  a  mere  pocket.  While  men  still  doubted, 
the  signal  for  speculation  had  been  sounded: 

Capt.  Moreton  has  ordered  a  diamond  drill,  a  little 
instrument  that  cost  $3000.00  and  the  same  is  expected 
here  shortly.  A  diamond  drill  is  not  a  coal  mine,  hut 
is  useful  in  discovering  veins  of  coal.  It  cuts  its  way 
downward,  leaving  a  core  of  the  earth  or  rock  through 
which  it  passes  in  the  center.  This  core  is  withdrawn 
with  the  drill  and  of  course  can  be  inspected  at  leisure. 
So  far  Capt.  Moreton.  J.  W.  Hoopes  of  Muscatine 
has  leased  the  mineral  rights  of  the  following  farms: 
Grotkin's  360;  Payn's  280;  Wood's  240;  Balsinger's 
80;  Curtis'  80;  Hackett  &  Hynes  160;  Young  120; 
Sedgwick  40 ;  Ruble  200  and  another  piece  of  80  acres, 
making  in  all  1720  acres.  Mr.  H.  left  on  Tuesday 
evening,  very  sanguine  that  inside  of  two  years  he 
would  be  supplying  this  northwestern  region  with  coal 
from  the  Lemars  mines.  It  is  not  certain  whether  he 
will  prospect  any  this  fall  or  wait  till  spring,  by  which 


182  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

time  we  mil  be  able  to  answer  the  conundrum:  Have 
we  a  coal  mine  among  us.^^^ 

Land  near  the  shaft  was  soon  reported  as  selling 
at  from  $100  to  $300  per  acre."' 

Reference  to  White's  geological  survey  of  Iowa 
made  in  1870  gave  practically  no  encouragement 
to  any  belief  in  a  true  vein  of  workable  coal  in 
this  region;  but  declaring  that  geologists  didn't 
know  everything,  Captain  Moreton  began  a  second 
bore  three-quarters  of  a  mile  northwest  of  the  first. 
On  March  1,  1883,  the  whole  history  of  the  enter- 
prise was  published  to  the  world.  Two  paragraphs 
of  this  interesting  bit  of  publicity  deserve  the 
reader's  perusal: 

From  Nov.  27,  1882,  till  Feb.  23,  1883,  a  period  of 
nearly  three  months,  and  in  the  face  of  desperate  dis- 
couragements, the  Captain  and  his  faithful  associate. 
Col.  Strait,  kept  at  work.  As  will  be  seen  by  the 
**log"  which  the  Captain  furnishes  for  publication 
herewith,  a  vein  of  three  feet  was  struck  at  a  depth 
of  188  feet,  but  this  did  not  satisfy  his  Alexandrian 
ambition.  The  work  was  prosecuted  for  nearly  another 
hundred  feet,  and  the  magnificent  result  secured  which 
we  herewith  announce  —  a  five  foot  vein,  of  the  rich- 
est bituminous  coal  ever  touched  in  Iowa. 

Though  searching  eagerly  for  this  very  thing,  its 
actual  discovery  rather  took  away  the  Captain's 
breath.  We  read  that  when  Thales  finally  worked 
out  the  famous  47th  proposition  of  the  1st  Book  of 
Euclid,  after  years  of  earnest  toil,  he  felt  so  elated 


A  STORY  OF  COAL  183 

that  he  sacrificed  seventy  fat  oxen  to  the  gods.  It  is 
also  said  of  Archimedes,  that  when  he  thought  out 
a  means  of  discovering  the  cubic  contents  of  Hiero's 
golden  crown,  he  was  so  overcome  that  all  he  could 
do  was  to  exclaim.  Eureka.  Now  whether  the  Captain 
said  or  did  anything  that  will  warrant  an  allusion  to 
these  ancient  duffers  we  cannot  tell,  but  this  we  do 
know,  that  hundreds  and  thousands  of  others  have 
indulged  in  exuberant  hieroglyphics  over  his  grand 
discovery,  that  make  the  classic  utterances  of  these 
ancient  philosophers  sound  stale  and  common  place."* 

Meanwhile,  although  public  excitement  had  be- 
gun to  lag,  the  confidence  of  the  explorers  had  in- 
duced the  Pljonouth  Coal  Company  to  publish  a 
notice  of  incorporation  with  $10,000  of  capital 
stock  for  the  purpose  of  leasing,  subleasing,  and 
purchasing  coal  lands  as  well  as  prospecting,  min- 
ing, and  selling  coal.  The  officers  were  J.  F.  Heeb, 
president;  C.  E.  Corkery,  secretary;  H.  F.  Sug- 
den,  treasurer ;  and  A.  B.  Ferris,  general  manager. 
Mr.  Sugden  quickly  sold  his  share  in  the  under- 
taking ''for  a  handsome  sum".  The  company 
pushed  work  on  a  mine  on  the  Broken  Kettle, 
hopeful  but  not  over-sanguine.^^^ 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  sensational  tales  were 
putting  Captain  Moreton's  "good  name,  veracity 
and  honor  in  the  market"  (some  people  being  still 
convinced  that  lumps  of  coal  had  been  dropped 
down  the  bore),  that   gentleman  published  the 


184  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

official  log  of  the  second  prospect  bore  on  January 
25th  and  the  complete  log  on  March  1st  to  silence 
wagging  tongues.  The  local  press  lauded  *'the 
plucky  Englishman"  for  solving  the  fuel  question 
and,  calling  him  ^'a  brick",  asserted:  *'It  was 
faith,  backed  by  John  Bull  grit  and  $5000  that 
did  it.""" 

Two  columns  of  newspaper  space  on  the  coal 
discovery  and  the  report  of  widespread  excitement 
show  how  the  people  of  Le  Mars  and  vicinity  were 
being  affected.  Even  though  someone  estimated 
that  it  would  cost  $45,000  to  sink  a  289  foot  shaft, 
unoccupied  lands  were  withdrawn  from  the  mar- 
ket in  several  counties  and  many  began  to  pre- 
pare for  prospecting.  In  June  appeared  a  notice 
of  the  incorporation  of  the  North- Western  Coal 
and  Mining  Company  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$500,000  and  the  following  directors :  Captain  the 
Hon.  Reynolds  Moreton,  Henry  J.  Moreton,  G.  C. 
Maclagan,  and  M.  J.  Chapman.''" 

The  coal  mine  fever  continued  to  rage  at  white 
heat  when  C.  P.  Woodard  found  another  rich  five- 
foot  vein  in  July.  But  mining  had  not  yet  com- 
menced. In  January,  1884,  the  log  of  Moreton 's 
second  boring  was  published.  That  the  promoters 
really  lacked  capital  was  clear  when  they  passed 
around  a  subscription  contract  and  secured  $5000 
for  sinking  a  shaft.     Captain  and  Mrs.  Moreton 


A  STORY  OF  COAL  185 

expressed  their  warmest  thanks  for  donations 
made  by  the  people,  and  the  Captain  wrote:  '*I 
trust  that  your  confidence  in  myself  personally, 
and  in  my  discovery  may  not  be  misplaced."  In 
a  subsequent  letter  of  thanks  to  the  press,  lie 
added :  ' '  God  has  greatly  blessed  this  county  and 
country  by  gi\TLng  wealth  for  man  to  develop. 
May  it  be  ours  to  acknowledge  him  always,  and 
help  to  enrich  one  another."  The  sinking  of  a 
shaft  ten  and  a  half  by  five  and  a  half  feet  was 
begun  on  Dromore  Farm  in  January,  1884,  when 
Le  Mars  already  boasted  a  '* Manufacturers' 
Union  "."^ 

On  the  last  day  of  February  workers  on  the 
shaft  had  progressed  eighty  feet ;  within  two  weeks 
they  were  busy  pumping  water;  and  in  August 
they  were  one  himdred  feet  down.  Subscribers  to 
the  shaft  fund  then  held  a  meeting:  eleven  were 
in  favor  of  requiring  that  the  shaft  be  sunk  297 
feet  in  accordance  with  Moreton's  contract,  while 
thirteen  wanted  their  money  refunded.  Mean- 
while M.  T.  Maher,  a  practical  miner  and  pros- 
pector, had  made  a  third  boring  and  found  only 
lignite  that  would  not  pay  to  work.  For  sixteen 
months  he  had  been  employed  by  the  Captain 
whom  he  thanked  for  ''his  kindness,  treatment 
and  honorable  dealing."  This  led  to  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  whole  project,  but  caused  many  people 


186  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

to  accuse  the  Captain  of  being  a  swindler  and  liar : 
they  declared  he  took  such  a  course  to  bring  down 
the  price  of  lands  so  that  he  might  buy  cheaply 
and  then  proceed  to  develop  the  find! 

Captain  Moreton  answered  his  traducers  by 
writing  a  history  of  the  whole  affair  from  be- 
ginning to  end,  asserting  that  he  and  his  son  had 
lost  $14,000  on  the  venture.  And,  moreover,  why 
should  subscribers  to  his  shaft  fund  feel  so  badly? 
Had  he  not  directly  and  indirectly  brought 
$250,000  of  capital  to  the  country?  They  met 
again  in  October  and  released  him  from  his  prom- 
ise, but  the  story  of  the  *'Big  Bonanza"  lingered 
long  in  their  memory."" 


XVIII 

ga:mes  and  sports  a:mong  the 

ENGLISH 

Extremely  novel  to  hard-working  American 
settlers  in  Le  Mars  and  the  surrounding  country 
were  the  games  and  sports  which  their  English 
neighbors  introduced.  ''All  work  and  no  play'' 
could  hardly  be  expected  from  the  large  number 
of  young  Britishers  who  had  flocked  from  the 
civilization  of  England  to  participate  in  the  re- 
clamation of  a  wild,  prairie  region.  Amusements 
and  pleasures  as  old  as  the  race  were  not  easily 
relegated  to  the  limbo  of  neglect  with  the  coming 
of  these  people  to  the  frontier.  And  so  the  forms 
of  excitement  and  friendly  rivalry  so  character- 
istic of  English  country  life  for  generations  were 
naturally  perpetuated  in  a  corner  of  the  earth 
where  everything  else  was  in  its  infancy.  This 
rejuvenating  element  must  have  gone  far  to  miti- 
gate the  tedium  of  existence  among  strangers  in 
a  foreign  land. 

First  of  the  contests  which  marked  the  English- 
man's love  for  thrills  was  a  fight  between  cocks 
representing   Ireland  and  England,  the   former 

187 


188  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

winning:  the  affair  promised  to  be  a  regular  fix- 
ture on  Saturdays  when  country  folk  commonly 
journeyed  to  town.""  Coaching  or  tally-ho  riding, 
too,  became  a  feature  of  outdoor  life  among  these 
people.  A  four-in-hand  with  someone  winding  the 
horn  no  doubt  startled  the  rough  Yankee  settlers 
of  those  days  and  the  short  newspaper  notice, 
**Lost  between  Merrill  and  Le  Mars,  an  English 
Coach  Horn'',  must  have  given  readers  at  least  a 
vision  of  one  phase  of  life  in  the  old  country."^ 

But  not  until  a  considerable  number  of  the 
*^ sprightly  young  fellows"  had  been  stationed  up- 
on the  farms  in  all  directions  from  Le  Mars  did 
sporting  life  take  on  the  aspect  of  first-class  im- 
portance. Early  in  the  year  1881  the  season  opened 
with  a  paper  chase  on  horseback.  Announcement 
of  the  event  invited  Americans  to  participate.  The 
start  was  made  from  Captain  More  ton's  farm  at 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon:  Fred  Close  and 
Blake  as  hares  started  east,  strewing  bits  of  finely 
cut  paper  from  large  bags.  Ten  minutes  later  the 
hounds  set  out  on  the  trail  to  overtake  and  capture 
the  leaders.  Messrs.  Campbell,  Dacres,  Dodsworth, 
Gaskell,  Oswell,  Revell,  Richards,  Todrich,  and 
Walker  followed  the  scent  of  the  hares  who  *'with 
the  cunning  of  their  tribe  curved  and  doubled  over 
the  South  side  and  around  the  Cemetery,  but  one 
of  them  was  overhauled  on  the  homestretch  by 


GAMES  AND  SPORTS  189 

Willie  Gaskell."  These  paper  chases,  almost  as 
exciting  as  fox  hunts,  usually  occurred  in  the 
spring  or  fall  and  started  from  the  farms  of  dif- 
ferent English  owners.""^ 

One  Thanksgiving  day  H.  N.  Waller,  Cecil 
Benson,  and  A.  B.  Jones  with  their  hounds  sighted 
a  magnificent  buck  on  the  banks  of  the  Little 
Sioux  and  triumphantly  brought  in  a  head  of 
twelve  points/^^  Sometimes  the  Le  Mars  wolf 
hounds  met  for  an  afternoon's  sport  in  the  country 
six  or  seven  miles  west  of  towTi;  and  in  honor  of 
the  wxdding  of  James  B.  Close  and  Miss  Humble 
at  Pipestone,  Minnesota,  the  English  boys  of  Sib- 
ley and  Le  Mars  were  reported  as  *' coming  up 
with  a  deer  and  some  hounds"  for  an  old-fashioned 
stag  hunt.  And  it  is  recorded  that  H.  M.  Lord 
went  to  Wisconsin  on  a  big  bear  hunt."* 

One  writer  in  England  pictured  the  Le  Mars 
colonists  in  a  most  alluring  way: 

Fortunately,  the  open-air  life  is  a  healthful  one. 
The  absence  of  good  turf  is  the  only  thing  which  so 
far  has  prevented  much  progress  being  made  with 
cricket  and  football.  But  a  man  may  be  less  pleasant- 
ly employed  than  in  riding  over  the  prairie  through 
the  lanes  of  flowers  —  sunflowers  if  he  likes  them !  — 
or  in  herding  and  driving  cattle  in  the  summer  months, 
while  there  is  fair  quail  or  prairie  chicken  shooting 
in  the  autumn,  and  duck  or  wild  goose  as  the  winter 
begins  and  ends.     Nor  with  so   large  a  number  of 


190  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

fellow-countrymen  within  reach  is  it  possible  to  lack 
a  congenial  friend  in  time  of  need."' 

Soon  after  this  story  appeared,  the  national 
pastime  of  cricket  was  introduced  to  the  citizens 
of  Le  Mars,  Old  cricketers  who  had  been  members 
of  crack  elevens  back  home  sent  their  names  to 
Fred  Paley,  so  that  a  match  between  picked  teams 
might  be  arranged.  The  boys  practised  some 
**down  on  the  Broken  Kettle  and  at  Quorn,  just 
to  keep  their  hands  in."  On  July  1, 1881,  a  cricket 
club  was  organized  and  the  following  officers 
elected:  president,  Capt.  R.  Moreton;  vice  pres- 
ident, F.  R.  Price;  secretary,  F.  Paley;  commit- 
tee, J.  Wakefield,  F.  Horsburgh,  H.  Hillyard,  G. 
Maclagan,  C.  Benson,  G.  Gamett,  J.  Brockbank, 
R.  Walker.  A  match  game  was  played  the  follow- 
ing "day  on  grounds  near  the  brick  yard  north  of 
town.  The  event  was  well  advertised  in  order  that 
Americans,  ^*  besides  being  able  to  witness  a  new 
and  manly  sport,  might  see  how  keenly  our  Eng- 
lish cousins  enter  the  very  spirit  of  the  game.""' 

In  their  enthusiasm  for  a  game  which  in  Eng- 
land was  played  in  immaculate  white  shirts,  trou- 
sers, and  shoes,  the  English  presented  a  sharp  con- 
trast to  their  American  cousins  in  a  struggle  on 
the  baseball  field.  Cricket  matches  became  a  fre- 
quent thing.  Captain  the  Hon.  R.  Moreton 's  eleven 
several  times  took  defeat  at  the  hands  of  the  Le 


GAIVIES  AND  SPORTS  191 

Mars  eleven.  On  one  side  appeared  Preston,  H. 
Moreton,  Sutton,  Dealtry,  Stubbs,  Captain  More- 
ton,  Johnson,  Douglas,  Earwan,  and  Jervis  and 
CoUedge  as  bowlers;  on  the  other,  R.  Walker,  T. 
Oswell,  Clowes,  Wakefield,  Brockbank,  Maclagan, 
McPherson,  H.  A.  Watson,  J.  G.  Watson,  and 
Horsburgh  and  Grouse  as  bowlers.  With  a  base- 
ball game  and  a  shooting  match  going  on  while  the 
English  indulged  in  their  favorite  pastime,  Le 
Mars  must  have  been  a  very  lively  place  on  cer- 
tain days."^  A  friendly  encounter  arranged  es- 
pecially for  the  visiting  Lord  Harris,  a  famous 
cricketer,  had  to  be  called  off  on  accoimt  of  ex- 
treme heat  as  well  as  rain."*  At  one  time  the  boys 
from  Akron  and  West  Fork  defeated  the  Le  Mars 
eleven.  The  most  interesting  match,  perhaps,  was 
that  between  Le  Mars  and  St.  Paul.  The  follow- 
ing account  of  the  game  appeared  later : 

The  cricket  match  between  the  Gateway  team  and 
that  of  St.  Paul  came  off  last  Monday  on  the  grounds 
of  the  latter  club,  and  resulted  in  an  easy  victory  for 
our  boys.  The  grounds  were  in  splendid  condition, 
and  nothing  could  exceed  the  hospitality  of  the  home 
team,  who  had  provided  refreshments  on  the  ground 
and  an  omnibus  to  take  the  visiting  eleven  and  spec- 
tators to  and  from  the  grounds.  The  St.  Paul  men 
won  the  toss,  and  Messrs.  Ramsey  and  Davidson  were 
sent  to  defend  the  wicket  against  the  bowling  of 
Messrs.  Horsburgli  and  Farquliar,  with  the  score  at 


192  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

1.  Eamsey  was  clean  bowled  and  Davidson  failed  to 
score  —  in  fact  the  only  man  who  could  do  anything 
with  the  Gateway  bowlers  was  Mr.  Pardoe,  who  plaj'^ed 
a  plucky  innings  for  10  and  12,  the  innings  closed  for 
30.  The  battery  of  the  home  team  was  weak,  and  the 
scoring  throughout  small.  This,  no  doubt,  was  owing 
to  the  good  bowling  of  Messrs.  Horsburgh  and  Far- 
quhar.  Mr.  Harry  Clowes'  wicket  keeping  was  be- 
yond all  praise,  and  the  fielding  of  the  visitors  was 
remarkably  good  considering  the  little  practice  they 
have  had  this  season.  After  an  interval  of  ten  minutes 
Messrs.  Golightly  and  Payne  defended  the  wicket  for 
Lemars.  Both  gentlemen  played  carefully,  and  with 
the  score  at  22  Payne  was  caught.  Here  an  adjourn- 
ment was  made  for  refreshments.  After  the  inner 
man  had  been  refreshed  Clowes  succeeded  PajTie  and 
showed  some  fine  batting.  Golightly  was  caught  after 
playing  a  fruitless  innings  for  25.  Horsburgh,  Sin- 
clair and  Jervis  augmented  the  score  by  15,  18  and 
10  respectively,  and  the  innings  closed  with  a  total  of 
116.  Messrs.  Dinwoodie  and  Eamsey  bowled  well  for 
St.  Paul,  and  the  fielding  of  Messrs.  Pardoe  and 
Myron  was  particularly  noticeable. 

In  the  second  innings  for  St.  Paul  the  Minnesota 
men  were  dismissed  with  a  total  of  59,  the  Gateway 
team  thus  winning  the  match  by  an  innings  and  27 
runs.  A  dinner  was  given  in  the  evening  at  Hurds 
to  the  visitors.  Dr.  Macdonald,  the  organizer  of  the 
St.  Paul  club,  presiding.  The  boys  speak  in  glowing 
terms  of  the  kindness  and  hospitality  shown  to  them 
while  at  St.  Paul  and  hope  ere  long  to  return  the  com- 
pliment by  receiving  a  visit  in  Lemars  from  the  north- 


GAMES  AND  SPORTS  193 

ern  eleven,  by  whom  they  were  so  royally  entertained. 
Myron  was  captain  for  the  St.  Paul  team,  and  Price 
captain  for  Lemars.  The  umpires  were  Vernon,  Le- 
mars,  and  Bethune  for  St.  Paul.  Many  ladies  wit- 
nessed the  game."^ 

At  another  time  a  team  composed  of  Sibley  and 
Le  Mars  men  beat  Minneapolis,  Messrs.  Jervis, 
Dealtry,  Croft,  and  Wakefield  receiving  most  of 
the  glory.  That  cricket  was  still  being  played  in 
1887  is  clear  from  the  fact  that  the  Cricket  Club's 
bats  and  balls  were  stolen  —  articles  ^*of  little  or 
no  value  to  anyone  in  this  country  and  a  robbery 
of  this  kind  shows  more  than  is  common  the 
viciousness  of  some  of  our  rising  citizens.""" 

If  cricket  science  could  not  be  appreciated  by 
persons  unfamiliar  with  it,  horse  racing  was  quite 
a  different  matter.  The  fondness  of  Englishmen 
for  this  sport  was  so  great  that  they  organized  the 
Le  Mars  Jockey  Club  with  an  annual  membership 
fee  of  $10  and  arranged  for  races  at  least  twice  a 
year.  Their  June  races  were  always  widely  ad- 
vertised: for  weeks  horse  talk  could  be  heard  on 
the  streets  and  in  hotel  lobbies.  The  English  boys 
or  "whips''  were  sure  to  get  their  flyers  in  train- 
ing early  for  each  '* grand  equestrian  tournament''. 
Entries  were  made  at  the  office  of  the  secretary, 
Fred  Paley,  and  the  books  were  closed  several 
days  before  the  races  came  off.    Every  year,  be- 


194  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

ginning  in  1880,  when  the  races  were  held  on  Cap- 
tain Laing's  grounds,  the  Le  Mars  Derby  was  one 
of  the  finest  racing  events  in  northern  Iowa.''" 

In  the  spring  of  1881  about  fifty  horses  were 
said  to  be  in  training  and  Americans  were  in- 
formed that  *'our  English  sportsmen  are  in  high 
feather  over  the  approaching  contest."  A  grand 
stand  capable  of  accommodating  a  large  audience 
was  erected  on  the  grounds  at  a  cost  of  $1000. 
Excursion  trains  at  low  rates  were  arranged  to 
lure  visitors  from  St.  Paul,  Chicago,  Omaha,  and 
intermediate  points.  Some  were  enthusiastic 
enough  to  believe  that  with  encouragement  from 
the  citizens  of  Le  Mars  the  June  races  would  soon 
bear  the  same  relation  to  the  West  that  the 
Rochester  course  did  to  the  East.  The  English 
colonists  made  all  the  preparations  for  a  great 
field  day;  hotel  keepers  anticipated  the  rush  of 
business  *'by  getting  out  their  extra  cots  and  look- 
ing up  their  surplus  china";  several  hundred  in- 
vitations were  issued  to  an  evening  dancing  party 
to  be  given  by  the  Close  brothers;  and  the  first 
game  of  cricket  ever  played  in  the  Northwest  was 
scheduled  for  the  day  after  the  races.  Interest  in 
the  event  increased  with  the  announcement  that 
the  English  had  just  received  direct  from  Europe 
a  thoroughbred  racer,  raised  by  Lord  Falmouth 
and  valued  at  $25,000.=^" 


GAMES  AND  SPORTS  195 

On  the  morning  of  June  30th  the  streets  of  Le 
Mars  presented  a  circus-day  appearance.  **Red 
caps  and  blue  caps,  green  caps  and  yellow,  could 
be  seen  filing  through  the  crowds,  noise  and  con- 
fusion was  apparent  on  every  hand,  and  Le  Mars 
looked  very  like  a  city  of  the  first  class  rather 
than  the  third.''  Le  Mars  newspapers  declared 
that  the  meetmg  would  long  be  remembered  as  one 
of  the  most  stirring  days  in  the  history  of  the  city, 
the  races  were  "second  to  none  in  the  Union",  and 
such  a  scene  as  people  witnessed  on  the  course 
could  "certainly  not  be  duplicated  anjrvvhere  west 
of  the  herring  pond." 

The  scene  was  pictured  as  "brilliant  in  the  ex- 
treme, the  throng  of  people,  the  vehicles  of  all 
kinds,  the  brilliant  costumes  of  the  ladies,  the 
driving,  the  riding,  the  music,  the  fighting,  the 
gambling,  the  drink,  the  mounted  police,  the  un- 
mounted, ditto;  the  jockeys,  the  *let-her-roll'  of 
the  man  at  the  wheel,  (you  were  not  forbidden  to 
speak  to  this  one)  all  made  up  a  lively  panorama 
that  only  Le  Mars  and  the  English  Races  can 
produce.  You  could  back  your  fancy  to  any  figure 
you  pleased,  and  the  book-makers  called  the  odds 
in  the  most  approved  race-course  fashion."  The 
following  account  may  be  taken  as  typical  of  the 
way  in  which  the  Le  Mars  Derby  was  reported  for 
a  number  of  years : 


196  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Thursday,  the  30th  of  June,  was  as  beautiful  a  day 
as  the  most  ardent  friend  of  the  English  races  could 
wish  for.  The  way  the  crowds  poured  into  the  Gate- 
way the  night  before  and  all  forenoon  of  that  day 
showed  that  the  Lemars  turf  is  rapidly  acquiring  a 
popularity  that  extends  far  beyond  the  limits  of  north- 
western Iowa.  Representatives  from  the  St.  Paul  and 
Chicago  press  proved  that  the  great  metropolitan 
dailies  regard  the  Lemars  meeting  of  sufficient  im- 
portance to  demand  their  attention,  and  though  the 
dispatches  they  furnished  their  respective  journals 
were  brief,  they  were  both  pointed  and  enthusiastic. 
Special  trains  were  run  on  all  the  roads  leading  to 
Lemars,  each  bringing  its  contingent  of  admirers  of 
the  manly  sport.  From  Sibley  and  Sheldon  came 
about  fifty  or  sixty,  from  Cherokee  and  intervening 
stations  nearly  a  hundred,  and  from  Sioux  City  not 
far  from  four  hundred  visitors,  to  witness  and  par- 
ticipate in  the  day's  festivities. 

The  race  course  was  in  most  excellent  condition  — 
firm  as  a  rock,  smooth  as  a  floor  and  dustless  as  my 
lady's  boudoir. 

By  one  o'clock  the  grounds  presented 
An  Animated  Spectacle. 
The  grand  stand,  just  completed  the  day  before,  and 
through  which  the  cooling  breeze  playfully  filtered, 
was  filled  to  repletion  with  an  anxious,  good  natured 
and  well-dressed  assemblage.  Scores  of  elegant  turn- 
outs were  driving  leisurely  across  and  around  the 
park.  Hundreds  on  hundreds  of  men,  women  and 
children  surged  hither  and  thither.  Lemonade  stands, 
refreshment  booths,  and  the  inevitable  hazard  tables 


GAMES  AND  SPORTS  197 

were  surrounded  by  throngs  anxious  to  slake  their 
thirst,  or  make  a  fortune.  Brilliantly  costumed  riders 
dashed  hither  and  thither  either  to  test  the  mettle  of 
their  steeds  or  convey  important  messages  relating 
to  the  pending  contest.  The  betting  men,  with  hands 
filled  with  greenbacks,  pencil  and  cards,  added  to  the 
hubbub,  by  offering  to  wager  in  any  conceivable  way. 
The  whole  made  up  a  panorama  of  life,  activity  and 
sportive  energy  never  before  seen  on  any  race  course 
in  this  region.  Conspicuous  everywhere  was  the 
omnipresent  Englishman,  to  whom  a  horse-race  is  the 
sum  total  of  human  enjoyment.  The  ladies,  too,  Eng- 
lish and  American  were  present  in  force,  their  elegant 
toilets  adding  picturesqueness  to  the  scene,  and  their 
sparkling  eyes  showing  how  intensely  they  were  in- 
terested in  the  proceedings.^*^ 

Fully  one  thousand  people  were  said  to  be  on 
the  grounds  when  the  race  for  the  West  Fork 
plate  was  called  at  one  o'clock.  This  was  a  mile 
run  for  horses  owned  by  English  residents  and 
ridden  by  English  gentlemen.  Of  nine  contenders 
for  two  prizes  of  $30  and  $10,  C.  Filer's  '*Zoe'' 
won  first  and  F.  B.  Close's  ^*True"  won  second, 
Grayson's  ** Bacchus"  being  third.  Next  came  a 
half-mile  running  race  of  seven  ponies  owned  by 
Englishmen:  the  first  prize  of  $20  went  to  A. 
Ridgeway's  "Fred  Wilson",  and  the  second  of 
$5  to  Mr.  Grouse's  "Lady  Grace".  The  Hail 
Columbia  Stakes  called  out  only  two  steeds,  the 
property  of  American  citizens:  "Kitchen  Maid" 


198  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

won  $50  for  J.  C.  Kennedy  and  *' Little  Harry" 
$10  for  W.  M.  Blunt.  A  second  pony  event  for  a 
prize  of  $25  open  to  Englishmen  and  Americans 
was  won  by  the  former. 

The  Le  Mars  cup  race  of  one  mile  and  a  half 
over  six  flights  of  hurdles,  the  main  event  of  the 
day,  was  open  to  all  comers.  In  a  field  of  seven 
entries  the  prize  of  $70  went  easily  to  an  American 
horse,  ^*  Sunbeam '',  ridden  by  Willie  Gaskell,  an 
English  jockey,  Langdon's  ^^Lena"  earning  second 
money,  and  W.  B.  Close's  ** Petrarch",  winner  of 
the  previous  year,  finishing  third.  Farquhar's 
"Speculation"  flew  the  track  at  the  third  hurdle 
and  threw  its  rider  without  hurting  him  much. 
The  victor  was  loudly  cheered  by  the  men  who  had 
bet  against  him  as  well  as  by  his  backers,  the 
jockey  *' winning  golden  opinions  by  the  choice 
way  in  which  he  got  away". 

Lovers  of  horseflesh  were  afterwards  reminded 
of  the  fact  that  the  year  1881  had  proven  extreme- 
ly lucky  for  Americans:  *' Iroquois"  won  the 
Epsom  Derby,  "Fbxhall"  scooped  the  Parisian 
Grand  Prix,  and  ** Sunbeam"  carried  the  day  at 
Le  Mars. 

The  sixth  race  was  a  trotting  match  between 
the  horses  of  M.  Blomefield  and  F.  B.  Close,  the 
latter  winning  an  easy  first.  In  the  International 
Scurry   of   one   mile   on   the   flat,   open   to   all. 


GAMES  AND  SPORTS  199 

** Kitchen  Maid"  triumphed  with  F.  Paley's 
*'Ned"  second.  Spectators  voted  the  Le  Mars 
Derby  a  great  success:  the  races  were  put  on  in 
a  masterly  way  and  fairly  conducted;  "there  was 
none  of  the  bickering  that  has  done  so  much  to 
bring  the  noble  sport  into  disrepute;  everything 
went  off  smoothly  and  swiftly,  without  useless  de- 
lays while  judges  jangled  with  jockeys;  and  losers 
made  no  outward  sign  of  grief."  Some  men,  of 
course,  allow^ed  enthusiasm  to  get  the  better  of 
their  judgment  and  put  up  their  money  on  the 
wrong  horse."* 

Horsemanship  was  an  accomplishment  of  which 
nearly  all  the  colonists  could  boast,  men  and 
women  alike.  Thus,  on  one  occasion  Mrs.  Fred 
Paley,  "skilled  equestrienne  like  nearly  all  Eng- 
lish ladies",  was  injured  while  riding.  It  is  said 
that  the  only  Fourth  of  July  feature  which  at- 
tracted Englishmen  at  Le  Mars  was  horse  racing. 
Also,  whenever  the  Plymouth  County  Agricultural 
Society  held  its  annual  fair  in  September,  they 
could  be  depended  on  to  enter  their  horses :  at  one 
time  Fred  Close  rode  a  race  over  three  flights  of 
hurdles,  and  despite  a  bad  spill  beat  Jack  Wake- 
field on  W.  B.  Close's  "Petrarch",  Mr.  Eden  on 
J.  B.  Close's  gray  mare,  and  F.  C.  S.  Dodsworth 
on  Fred  Barrow's  horse.  Autumn  races  gained 
almost  as  much  popularity  as  the  June  Derby :  on 


200  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

October  6  and  7, 1881,  English  horses  owned  most- 
ly by  the  Close  brothers  triumphed  in  all  except 
the  main  event,  the  hurdle  race  for  the  House  of 
Lord's  Cup  valued  at  $150.  As  Yankee  horses  had 
swept  the  English  turf  to  the  amazement  of  John 
Bull,  so  **our  cousins  got  left  last  Saturday  in  a 
way  they  despise/"" 

There  can  be  little  point  in  referring  to  aU  the 
semi-annual  meetings  of  the  English  Jockey  Club 
in  the  years  that  followed:  newspapers  faithfully 
lent  their  columns  to  lengthy  reports  of  those  ex- 
citing red  letter  days  in  June  and  October  when 
only  horses  held  the  center  of  the  stage  for  Amer- 
icans and  Englishmen  alike.  In  June,  1882,  the 
Grand  International  Hurdle  Race  of  two  miles 
over  eight  flights  of  barriers  excited  the  most  in- 
tense interest:  W.  Clowes 's  "Badger"  with  Jack 
Wakefield  in  the  saddle  beat  Cecil  Benson  on  H. 
Gimner's  ** Sportsman"  in  three  minutes  and 
twenty-five  seconds,  two  other  flyers  having  bolted 
before  the  finish.  Waddilove,  Payne,  and  W. 
Gladstone  captured  a  good  bit  of  money  in  later 
years. 

Sometimes  races  were  arranged  on  the  spur  of 
the  moment,  as  when  James  Close  beat  his  brother, 
Fred,  in  August,  1882 ;  and  sometimes  horses  were 
matched  to  run  for  special  side  bets  or  purses. 
Sometimes  English  horses  also  appeared  in  races 


GAIVIES  AND  SPORTS  201 

elsewhere,  as  at  the  Woodbury  County  fair  in 
Sioux  City,  Council  Bluffs,  or  Chicago,  where  R. 
Jervis's  "Nippon"  won  $250;  and  in  September, 
1884,  they  were  invited  by  Fred  B.  Close  to  the 
Pipestone  Jockey  Club's  first  meeting.^'*^ 

Although  horse  racing  proved  to  be  the  most 
spectacular  form  of  excitement  from  the  onlook- 
er's point  of  view,  other  sports  furnished  the 
participants  an  opportunity  to  match  their  physi- 
cal skill  and  strength.  The  Le  Mars  Athletic  Club 
was  soon  formed.  Many  times  the  English  boys 
showed  their  prowess  in  athletic  sports:  at  the 
county  fair  in  1881  they  held  a  field  tourney  and 
track  meet,  each  person  paying  fifty  cents  for 
entering  an  event  and  the  whinner  obtaining  a  cup 
as  the  prize.  Handicap  races,  as  for  members  of 
the  Prairie  Club  over  thirty  years  of  age,  were 
popular  affairs.  One  year  later,  at  the  October 
meeting  of  the  Le  Mars  Jockey  Club  they  staged 
another  program  of  running  and  field  events  in 
which  the  following  men  took  part :  A.  C.  CoUedge, 
D.  G.  Phenhallagan,  J.  Hope,  C.  L.  Robertson,  J. 
B.  Close,  Capt.  Robinson,  C.  H.  Golightly,  F. 
Payne,  L.  H.  Collins,  M.  Farquhar,  F.  S.  Jen- 
nings, J.  Black,  and  A.  H.  Paget."^ 

The  game  of  lacrosse  was  also  played  with 
spirit;^"  and  ice  hockey  must  have  offered  a  sur- 
feit of  sport  during  the  long  winter  months.    At 


202  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Adams's  rink  the  boys  of  Seney  matched  'their 
wits  against  a  team  from  Le  Mars  and  won  a 
series ;  and  city  versus  comitry  also  provoked  the 
keenest  rivalry."*  Nor  were  friendly  encomiters 
on  the  lawn  tennis  court  neglected:  cricket  and 
tennis  were  played  on  alternate  Saturdays  in  1882 ; 
and  five  years  later  the  Le  Mars  Lawn  Tennis 
Club  prepared  for  the  tournament  at  Spirit  Lake 
and  planned  a  club  house."" 

Unfortunately  no  stream  or  body  of  water  at 
or  near  Le  Mars  was  adequate  enough  to  satisfy 
the  craving  of  the  English  for  boat  racing.  Li 
July,  1884,  a  score  of  English  ladies  and  gentle- 
men whiled  away  some  time  at  Spirit  Lake  which 
had  already  acquired  a  reputation  as  a  summer 
resort.  The  English  visitors  made  themselves  con- 
spicuous by  appearing  at  dinner  in  full  evening 
dress  and  also  by  putting  on  some  exciting  boat 
races.  The  Hon.  R.  C.  Jervis  beat  A.  C.  Colledge 
in  the  single  sculls ;  J.  M.  C.  Walkinshaw  and  Jer- 
vis defeated  J.  Dawson  and  Colledge  in  the  double 
sculls;  and  the  big  event  in  which  four  double 
sculls  were  entered  was  won  by  F.  E,  Romanes 
and  Jervis  over  A.  C.  and  A.  R.  Colledge,  Lord 
Hobart  and  J.  Dawson,  and  C.  F.  Benson  and  J. 
M.  C.  Walkinshaw,  ladies  coxing  the  boats.  So 
great  was  A.  C.  Colledge 's  fondness  for  the  sport 
that  in  the  autumn  of  1884  he  returned  to  England 


GAMES  AND  SPORTS  203 

to  train  with  his  old  rowing  club  at  Henley  for  the 
championship  of  the  world."^ 

It  is  alleged  that  Fred  B.  Close,  who  came  to 
America  in  1872,  was  the  first  polo  player  in  the 
United  States.  If  that  claim  can  not  be  sub- 
stantiated, he  it  was  who  introduced  the  game  at 
Le  Mars  and  organized  the  Northwestern  Polo 
League  in  1885,  other  clubs  being  formed  at  Blair 
and  Omaha,  Nebraska,  at  Yankton  and  Sioux 
Falls,  South  Dakota,  and  at  Onawa,  Cherokee, 
Sioux  City,  Salix,  Sloan,  and  Council  Bluffs  in 
Iowa.  The  association's  challenge  cup  was  three 
times  won  by  Le  Mars. 

Cow  ponies  proved  themselves  very  adept,  alert, 
and  intelligent  companions  to  their  riders  in  this 
game ;  but  in  a  match  between  Sioux  City  and  Le 
Mars  in  June,  1890,  there  was  a  collision  or  rather 
an  attempt  by  one  pony  to  hurdle  another  which 
cut  across  its  path,  resulting  in  the  death  of  the 
Sioux  City  captain,  Fred  B.  Close.  The  unfor- 
tunate man  had  but  recently  returned  from  Eng- 
land with  a  shoulder  badly  bruised  in  hunting  — 
with  upper  arm  strapped  to  his  body  and  only  the 
hand  free  to  drive,  he  was  unable  to  manage  his 
mount  well  enough  to  avoid  the  accident  which  led 
to  his  death  before  the  eyes  of  Mrs.  Close.  Among 
the  participants  in  this  contest  at  Crescent  Park, 
Sioux  City,  were  Jack  Watson,  A.  C.  CoUedge,  G. 


204  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

C.  Maclagan,  and  Count  von  Mueller  for  Le  Mars 
and  Henry  Drake  for  Sioux  City.  Polo  in  this 
region  lasted  until  the  year  1898  by  which  time 
Britishers  had  been  pretty  well  displaced  by 
younger  American  players  whom  they  had  well 
tutored  in  this  as  in  all  other  lines  of  sport.  Thus, 
in  the  match  between  Le  Mars  and  St.  Louis  in 
1893  G.  C.  Maclagan 's  American  team-mates  were 
Ed  Dalton  and  the  Sammis  brothers."^ 

Rugby  football  also  served  as  an  outlet  for  sur- 
plus energy  among  the  English  colonists.  The 
boys  at  West  Fork  or  Quorn  challenged  all  comers 
in  the  autumn  of  1881,  and  a  big  game  was  sched- 
uled for  November  19th.  At  another  time  More- 
ton's  **pups",  old  and  new,  played  the  Le  Mars 
club ;  and  in  connection  with  the  races  in  October, 
1882,  a  most  exciting  game  occurred  between  Le 
Mars  and  a  picked  team  from  West  Fork  and 
Akron. 

It  was  also  reported  that  football  as  played  by 
our  English  cousins  resembled  **for  all  the  world 
an  Arkansas  rough-and-tumble  free  fight",  and 
accidents  were  by  no  means  imcommon.  G.  C. 
Maclagan  was  thrown  at  one  time  and  received  a 
fractured  collar  bone,  which,  like  a  dislocated 
joint,  a  newspaper  reporter  declared  to  be  *'a 
heavy  price  to  pay  for  a  game."  The  description 
of  one  thrilling  match  between  the  two  teams 


GAMES  AND  SPORTS  205 

above  referred  to  may  well  be  taken  as  a  typical 
English  account  of  "rugger": 

The  Gateway  team  on  Saturday  avenged  their  de- 
feats of  six  months  ago.  The  visiting  team  was  voted 
a  good  one  but  the  absence  of  such  men  as  Crawley, 
Garnett,  Benson  shook  the  faith  of  many  persons  as 
to  the  ability  of  the  "Portlands"  to  pull  through 
victorious.  About  150  spectators  assembled  to  witness 
the  struggle,  the  fairer  sex  mustering  in  very  good 
force.  Only  twelve  men  a  side  could  be  mustered  and 
as  soon  as  the  preliminaries  of  the  match  were  ar- 
ranged the  United  team  turned  their  backs  to  the 
wind  and  Paget,  kicking  off,  started  the  game  at 
twelve  minutes  after  four.  Walkinshaw  was  at  once 
called  upon  to  handle  the  leather  and  made  a  good 
run  but  on  being  collared  by  Paget  passed  cleverly  to 
Thomson,  who,  however,  was  stopped  by  CoUedge. 
The  first  scrimmage  was  formed  in  the  city  limits  but 
the  home  forwards  loosing  out  took  the  ball  by  a 
series  of  short  rushes  to  the  half  way  flag.  Soon  after 
this  Osmanston  made  a  splendid  run  and  succeeded 
in  gaining  a  try,  the  place  by  Paget  proving  a  failure. 
After  the  drop  out  F.  Close  got  away  with  the  ball 
and  made  a  rare  run  passing  to  Waddilove  who  nearly 
got  in  but  was  well  tackled  by  J.  D.  Chiene  within  20 
feet  of  the  city's  goal  line.  A  splendid  rush  by  the 
Lemars  forwards  led  by  Farquhar  and  CoUedge  made 
matters  look  better  for  their  side  and  the  play  was 
transferred  to  midfield.  Here  Walkinshaw  made  a 
brilliant  run,  and  the  Cheshireman  was  only  held  and 
that  after  a  great  exertion  by  Paget  within  a  few 
yards   of  the   goal  line.     Unfortunately   in   the  fall 


206  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Walkinshaw  was  so  much  injured  as  to  place  him 
*'hors  de  combat."  The  united  team,  now  weakened 
by  the  loss  of  the  valuable  services  of  their  captain, 
lost  ground  steadily,  the  game  being  principally  con- 
tested from  this  point  up  to  half  time  in  the  visitors' 
quarters. 

Ends  were  now  changed  and  after  an  interval  of 
five  minutes  Hewett  kicked  off  on  behalf  of  Portland, 
CoUedge  with  one  of  his  powerful  runs  taking  the 
leather  into  the  enemy's  quarters.  At  this  point  an- 
other of  the  visitors,  A.  Grey,  retired,  and  although 
fighting  against  odds  the  united  team  seemed  deter- 
mined to  score  playing  fast  and  loose  in  the  scrim- 
mage, Hewett  and  Christian  being  particularly  con- 
spicuous but  the  home  14  hacks,  Paget  and  Osmans- 
ton's  brilliant  runs  drove  them  back,  and  soon  after 
Paget  gained  a  try  goal.  The  ball  had  no  sooner  been 
started  from  the  centre  than  CoUedge  and  KoUo  put 
in  some  fine  play,  and  the  last  named,  passing  to 
Paget,  the  home  team's  I/2  back,  effected  a  fine  run  in, 
securing  a  try,  but  the  place  by  CoUedge  failed.  Wad- 
dilove  and  Capt.  Kobinson  put  in  some  fine  work  after 
this,  but  Lemars  carried  the  scrimmages  and  A.  Paget 
cleverly  obtained  a  try  which  he  easily  converted  into 
a  goal.  The  visitors  starting  again  with  a  splendid 
kick  off  by  Hewett,  paid  a  short  visit  to  the  city 
quarters,  where  a  series  of  scrimmages  took  place  in 
dangerous  proximity  to  the  goal  line.  No  point  of 
interest  occurred  up  to  the  call  of  time,  when  Lemars 
was  declared  the  winners  by  two  goals,  two  tries, 
to  nil. 


GAMES  AND  SPORTS  207 

TEAMS LEMARS 

J.  D.  Chiene,  back;  A.  C,  CoUedge,  E.  Eollo,  three- 
quarter  backs;  Osmanston,  A.  Paget,  one-half  backs; 
Brown,  A.  C.  Sinclair,  Sturgess,  H.  Tarleton,  A.  J. 
Colledge,  J.  G.  Hope,  Ed  Anderson,  forwards. 

WEST   FORK  AND  AKRON 

D.  Maclaren,  back;  J.  Walkinshaw,  A.  C.  Waddi- 
love,  three-quarter  backs;  Capt.  Kobinson,  F.  Close, 
one-half  backs;  C.  Hewett,  E.  Mansel,  Thomson,  P. 
Wraight,  H.  Christian,  A.  Grey,  W.  W.  Figgis,  W.  H. 
Stevens,  forwards.^'^ 

Although  young  Britishers  were  not  as  plentiful 
in  and  about  Le  Mars  in  later  years,  one  of  the 
most  enjoyed  occasions  during  their  sojourn  was 
the  long-planned  celebration  of  Queen  Victorians 
jubilee  in  June,  1887  —  seven  days  being  devoted 
to  the  great  event.  On  the  second  day  came  the 
Derby  at  the  fair  grounds,  with  the  men  dressed 
*'in  jockey  caps,  flaring  scarlet  shirts,  and  black 
knickerbockers  on  their  high-mettled  horses.  ^^ 
English  ladies  drove  through  the  streets,  according 
to  one  description,  ^'in  queer  little  carts,  or,  if  on 
foot,  they  invariably  carry  canes  and  are  followed 
by  a  parcel  of  dogs,  generally  small  grey  hounds. 
The  English  flag  floats  everywhere,  English  airs 
are  tooted  and  drummed  in  all  directions,  and  the 
English  accent  is  heard  on  every  hand.''"* 

Two  thousand  people,  British  and  Americans, 
turned  out  to  see  the  pony  races,  the  jubilee  handi- 


208  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

cap  of  six  furlongs  on  the  flat,  and  the  West  Fork 
plate  which  Fred  Close  won  riding  his  owti  horse. 
With  more  races  oil  two  other  days,  including  a 
tandem  race  with  six  entries,  the  Jockey  Club  w  as 
reported  as  having  had  the  best  day  in  its  history. 
There  was  also  a  "tug  of  war"  between  England 
and  Ireland:  A.  C.  CoUedge,  E.  Nesfield,  F.  Veal, 
E.  Sturgess,  H.  Hawtrey,  and  Fred  Close  versus 
J.  T.  Mahan,  C.  Sinclair,  Tom  Dowglass,  D.  John- 
son, D.  Warren,  and  S.  Dundas,  the  latter  win- 
ning. Then  a  similar  event  took  place  between 
Americans  and  Scotchmen,  "the  Highlanders",  A. 
Weir,  Albert  Farquhar,  Guy  Elliott,  R.  Reade, 
and  F.  Carmichael  losing.  In  the  final  tug  between 
the  winners  the  Americans  beat  the  Irish. 

The  polo  match  for  the  championship  of  the 
Northwest  afforded  lots  of  excitement:  Captain 
Orde,  Carmichael,  W.  Gaskell,  and  Fred  Close  for 
Sibley  versus  Captain  Maclagan,  Watson,  Henry 
Moreton,  and  O.  T.  Pardoe  for  Le  Mars,  the  latter 
winning  three  to  one.  There  was  also  a  teimis 
tournament  in  both  singles  and  doubles  with  the 
following  entries :  A.,  J.,  and  W.  Farquhar,  J.  F. 
Carver,  J.  Douglas,  A.  Dent,  E.  Winstanley,  A.  H. 
Paget,  H.  EUer,  A.  C.  CoUedge,  Tom  Aldersey,  R. 
Walker,  W.  Payne,  Logan,  and  F.  E.  Romanes, 
Joe  Farquhar  winning  the  singles.  Two  cricket 
matches  between  Le  Mars  and  ^dsiting  Britishers 


GAMES  AND  SPORTS  209 

were  won  by  the  visitors  Drake,  Payne,  Scougel, 
Croft,  Sinclair,  Medd,  Wesfield,  Logan,  Graham, 
Eustace,  Tiffney,  Paget,  and  A.  Farquhar.  With 
a  grand  ball  at  Apollo  Hall,  the  week's  jubilee 
festivities  were  voted  a  brilliant  success,  and  may 
be  taken  as  a  fitting  conclusion  of  the  account  of 
their  doings  on  the  playgrounds  of  northwestern 
Iowa."» 


XIX 

SALOONS  AND  OTHER  THINGS 
AMERICAN 

To  mitigate  the  tedium  of  existence  in  the  first 
years  of  any  newly  opened  region,  saloons  in  con- 
siderable numbers  played  a  rough  but  very  im- 
portant part.  Le  Mars  was  no  exception  to  the 
rule;  and  during  the  first  few  years  of  the  Eng- 
lish occupation  saloons  were  named  especially  to 
attract  Englishmen,  such  as  the  "House  of  Lords *', 
the  ** House  of  Commons",  and  **  Windsor  Palace". 
In  a  letter  to  the  editor  of  a  local  newspaper,  as 
early  as  June,  1880,  the  writer  asked  if  "some- 
thing cannot  be  done  to  abate  that  miserable 
nuisance  styled  the  *  House  of  Lords'."  Going 
home  from  church  on  Sunday,  he  had  seen 
twelve  drunken  young  men  in  front  of  the  place 
and  through  the  open  door  he  saw  a  number  of 
women  inside  "jerking  drinks  for  the  imgodly 
loafers  who  were  reveling  there".  The  editor 
replied : 

The  House  of  Lords  has  already  won  an  unsavory 
reputation,  and  we  hope  that  its  flagrant  violation  of 
all  law  and  all  decency  will  be  the  cause  of  its  speedy 


210 


SALOONS  AND  OTHER  THINGS  '    211 

collapse  ....  Why,  the  Liberal  has  been  taken  to 
task  ....  because  it  mentions  the  drunken  sprees  of 
the  silly  English  lads  who  have  come  over  here  to  get 
from  under  parental  restraint. 

Seven  of  these  boys  were  alleged  to  have 
marched  through  town  and  jokingly  to  have 
broken  the  lamp  which  stood  in  front  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church,  *^  howling,  yelping,  singing,  cursing, 
and  otherwise  scandalising  this  community".  A 
few  days  later,  four  of  the  **  blatant,  mouthy 
young  lads  whose  sense  of  decency  and  propriety 
has  been  sadly  damaged  in  their  making"  called 
on  the  editor  to  get  an  apology  and  threatened  "to 
bust  his  bloody  blarsted  head"  if  he  refused.  In 
an  attempt  to  carry  out  the  threat  on  the  street 
one  day,  the  editor  was  rescued  by  three  business 
men  from  Jack  Wakefield  who  had  been  delegated 
to  trounce  him  with  a  horse  whip.  Not  long  after- 
ward someone  wrote  that,  save  for  the  howling  and 
carousing  of  the  young  bloods,  the  town  had  been 
remarkably  quiet  for  some  time  past;  but  like 
Baltimore  roughs  or  New  York  rats,  they  had 
given  Le  Mars  a  goodly  portion  of  vice  and 
revelry,  and  fear  was  expressed  that  a  repetition 
of  the  occurrence  *Svould  end  only  in  a  young 
Bunker  Hill"."« 

Under  the  headline,  "War  between  the  Races", 
a  Sioux  City  newspaper  referred  to  the  troubles 


212  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

at  Le  Mars.     Speaking  of  the  large  number  of 
young  Englishmen  there,  it  added: 

They  are  "gentlemen's"  sons,  have  plenty  of 
money,  a  superabundance  of  animal  spirits,  and  being 
a  thousand  miles  away  from  home  and  among  stran- 
gers, go  in  for  what  with  them  constitutes  a  "good 
time ' ',  with  little  regard  to  what  people  generally  may 
think  of  their  actions.  They  accept  as  a  literal  fact 
that  this  is  the  "land  of  the  free",  and  are  disposed 
to  govern  themselves  accordingly.  At  Le  Mars  they 
have  carried  this  principle  so  far,  that  the  Liberal  has 
on  several  occasions  chided  them  in  no  endearing 
terms,  and  its  issue  of  this  week  goes  for  the  "drunk- 
en thugs",  as  it  is  pleased  to  call  the  young  Britons 
in  severe  style.  The  charges  preferred  embrace  about 
all  the  sins  enumerated  in  the  decalogue,  and  the  paper 
has  assumed  to  be  speaking  the  sentiment  of  an  out- 
raged community.*'^ 

The  two  newspapers  of  Le  Mars  seem  to  have 
taken  opposite  sides  on  the  matter,  the  editors 
having  no  love  for  each  other,  as  one  may  gather 
from  this  scathing  bit  of  journalism: 

The  terrific  swagger,  and  fierce  know-nothing  bull- 
dozing with  which  C.  F.  Leidy  of  the  Liberal,  tried  to 
snuff  out  the  English  Colonists  of  this  county  a  year 
ago  stands  in  painful  contrast  to  the  ineffable  toady- 
ism with  which  he  is  now  fawning  at  their  feet.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  his  outrageous  calumnies  of 
the  new  comers  caused  a  few  of  them  to  pick  him  up 
one  morning  in  front  of  Allison's  drug  store,  and 


SALOONS  AND  OTHER  THINGS  213 

give  him  such  a  trouncing  that  it  took  ten  days  of 
lotions,  liniments,  pills  and  plasters  to  recuperate  his 
exhausted  energies.  The  licking  had  the  effect  of 
transforming  the  rampageous  bull-dog  to  a  whining 
spaniel,  so  that  now  instead  of  tearing  the  ''cussed 
furriners,"  to  pieces,  he  is  their  most  unctuous  syco- 
phant. Leidy  does  not  seem  to  understand,  that  to 
any  well  balanced  mind,  a  bully  and  a  parasite  are 
equally  detestable,  and  that  Englishmen  are  pro- 
verbially intolerant  of  both.  Their  scorn  for  a  vapor- 
ing blusterer  is  only  equalled  by  their  contempt  for 
a  servile  lick-spittle.^°® 

The  "House  of  Lords"  with  its  imported  liquor, 
English  ale  and  porter,  and  a  special  locker-room 
served  as  a  sort  of  noisy  club  house  for  the  young- 
er Englishmen.  The  story  goes  that  the  first  rural 
telephone  in  Plymouth  County  connected  Captain 
Moreton's  barn  and  this  saloon  for  the  special 
accommodation  of  his  pupils;  and  that  on  one 
occasion  Jack  Wakefield,  to  be  served  at  the  bar 
in  true  Wild  West  style,  rode  a  pony  into  the 
''House  of  Lords".  That  these  boys  sometimes 
encountered  the  opposition  of  Yankees  of  their 
own  age  is  evident  from  the  following  newspaper 
account : 

A  Young  Englishman  and  a  couple  of  chaps  from 
the  country  got  up  a  good  sized  show  on  Tuesday 
afternoon.  They  had  all  been  taking  budge  pro- 
miscuously, when  one  of  the  country  lads  thought  to 
make  it  interesting  by  giving  the  Englishman  a  clip 


214  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

behind  the  lug,  which  he  proceeded  to  do,  and  then 
lit  out  at  a  2:40  gait.  The  Englishman  followed  to 
the  street,  but  got  hold  of  the  other  chap  and  warmed 
his  ears  with  a  pair  of  beer  mugs.  Then  there  was  a 
flight  to  a  saloon  and  a  three-cornered  bombardment 
of  beer  glasses  and  knuckles  ensued,  after  which  there 
was  another  retreat,  and  the  pale  air  was  streaked 
with  cuss-words,  while  the  claret  flowed  freely  down 
the  necks  of  the  combatants.    No  arrests."^ 

The  agitation  in  Iowa  caused  by  the  prohibition 
question  early  in  the  year  1882  roused  violent  de- 
bate at  Le  Mars  because  it  was  freely  predicted 
that  prohibition  would  "knock  the  hind-sights  off 
of  immigration"  to  the  State  —  an  objection  which 
**the  goody-good  people  who  want  to  transmogrify 
our  State  into  a  grand,  perennial  Sunday-school 
ought  to  think  of".**°  If  the  amendment  to  the 
Constitution  should  carry,  rumor  prophesied  that 
the  English  would  take  their  departure.  Prohibi- 
tion won  the  day  in  Iowa  as  a  whole  and  also  at 
Le  Mars,  **a  whiskey  town'*  with  fifteen  saloons.^" 
When  the  district  court  at  Davenport  declared  the 
amendment  unconstitutional  in  October,  1882,  and 
the  Supreme  Court  affirmed  that  decision  in  Janu- 
ary, 1883,  great  rejoicing  prevailed  in  certain 
quarters  at  Le  Mars  and  saloons  were  again  freely 
patronised.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that  Charles 
Dacres,  English  editor  of  the  Lemars  Truth,  wrote 
in  serio-comic  vein: 


SALOONS  AND  OTHER  THINGS  215 

Are  you  allowed  to  talk  on  the  streets  at  night!  is 
a  question  I  would  like  to  have  solved:  The  other 
evening  on  the  closing  of  the  House  of  Lords,  I  was 
standing  mth  four  or  five  friends  talking  when  the 
deputy  marshal  comes  up  and  requests  me  in  his 
usually  suave  manner  to  *' cheese  this  racket." 

Liberty  is  constantly  jammed  down  your  throat 
here,  but  it  seems  to  me  an  exploded  theory,  when  an 
officer  can  do  what  he  likes  mth  your  right  of  speech. 
Talking,  I  should  think,  is  not  a  crime  in  the  eyes  of 
the  law,  unless  the  noise  disturbs  the  sleep  of  others 
and  the  blizzard  that  was  blowing  on  this  particular 
night  would  have  drowned  even  J.  C.  Morris'  sten- 
torian vocal  organs.^'^ 

Saloons  were  later  closed  in  accordance  with  the 
prohibitory  statute  of  1884;  but  the  **  House  of 
Lords"  was  afterwards  accused  of  violating  the 
law.'" 

That  many  American  ways  and  institutions 
rubbed  English  colonists  against  the  grain  there 
is  little  doubt.  Fourth  of  July  celebrations  and 
American  spread-eaglism  found  no  favor  among 
them ;  and  when  some  of  the  bolder  young  fellows 
attempted  to  raise  the  English  flag  on  Indepen- 
dence Day,  it  is  said,  a  good-sized  riot  or  worse 
was  narrowly  averted.  Another  thing  that  caused 
these  people  to  marvel  at  the  time  of  an  election 
for  school  directors  was  the  fact  that  Americans 
were    ** always    voting    for    somebody".      When 


216  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA  . 

British  residents  became  naturalized  and  exercised 
the  privilege  of  voting,  a  large  majority  affiliated 
with  the  Democratic  Party  because  Republicans 
were  not  popular  in  England.'^** 

What  must  have  been  particularly  foreign  to 
English  tastes  was  the  American  newspaper  of  the 
region  with  its  lack  of  foreign  news  and  himior 
and  its  abundance  of  sensations  and  gossipy  ''per- 
sonals". Accordingly,  they  subscribed  for  the 
London  Times  and  Punch  and  other  papers,  tried 
and  true.  Herbert  Cope,  the  colony's  tea  im- 
porter, presented  a  Le  Mars  editor  with  copies  of 
these  English  journals  from  time  to  time  which 
caused  that  gentleman  to  write  for  the  benefit  of 
his  readers: 

They  present  no  peculiarity  aside  from  their  sombre 
and  stately  demeanor,  if  we  may  so  express  ourself. 
An  English  paper  looks  so  solemn  as  an  owl,  never 
indulges  in  levity,  and  is  always  as  dignified  as  a 
judge  delivering  a  charge.  Even  their  comic  papers 
have  a  quaint,  heavy,  solemn  look  that  almost  dis- 
courages the  lithesome,  rattleheaded  American  whose 
intellectual  viands  must  be  served  up  in  gilded  gob- 
lets so  to  say,  and  yield  their  essence  at  a  glance."' 

Despite  the  fact  that  the  newspapers  at  Le  Mars 
gathered  and  published  information  relating  to 
the  colonists  individually  and  collectively,  thus 
enabling  them  to  keep  in  touch  with  one  another 
even  if  they  did  so  by  means  of  frequent  and  in- 


SALOONS  AND  OTHER  THINGS  217 

timate  social  relations,  Englishmen  in  this  region 
soon  came  to  have  an  organ  of  their  own.  Charles 
E.  Dacres,  who  had  gained  some  experience  as  an 
amateur  journalist  on  board  a  British  man-of- 
war,  first  issued  what  he  named  The  Indian  Creek 
Gazette.  In  February,  1882,  he  came  to  Le  Mars 
and  began  taking  subscriptions  for  The  Colony 
Sketch.  When  it  came  from  the  press,  an  Amer- 
ican editor  described  it  as  * 'a  daisy  in  full  bloom '^, 
"a  creditable  and  spicy  little  sheet",  and  wished  it 
success.  Featuring  especially  Mrs.  Paley's  sketch- 
es and  ^'Mercator^s''  letters,  the  paper  circulated 
most  among  the  English  whom  it  was  designed  to 
interest  and  amuse.^^* 

The  youthful  editor  in  one  issue  propounded 
and  answered  at  great  length  the  all-important 
question  whether  Englishmen  should  invest  their 
money  in  northwestern  Iowa:  he  cautioned  his 
countrymen  against  tackling  too  much  land  or 
squandering  their  wealth  on  costly  homes,  and 
suggested  larger  expenditures  on  all  kinds  of  live 
stock.  From  this  attempt  to  do  his  bit  as  an 
economist  and  financial  adviser  he  turned  his  at- 
tention fearlessly  to  civic  ideals  at  Le  Mars: 

It  is  a  highly  discreditable  fact  that  the  alleys  of 
Lemars  are  in  a  disgusting  condition.  Many  of  them 
are  blockaded  with  filth,  from  which  arises  malaria 
in   diverse   forms,  to   say   nothing   of   the   offensive 


218  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

smells  that  come  therefrom,  and  the  obstruction  to 
the  passage  of  vehicles  and  pedestrians.  The  atten- 
tion of  the  council  has  been  called  to  this  matter  here- 
tofore, and  it  is  time  that  something  be  done.^®^ 

This  editorial  found  so  much  favor  with  an 
American  editor  that  the  city  hall  crowd  was 
treated  to  the  following  outburst  of  newspaper 
sarcasm : 

Fie,  fie  on  you  Mr.  Sketch.  Don't  you  know  that 
we  have  a  reform  councU,  and  a  reform  mayor  and 
that  everything  is  done  that  ought  to  be  done,  and 
whatever  is  not  done  is  omitted  in  accordance  with 
the  grand  underlying  ideas  that  grandly  underlie  re- 
forms and  reformers?  '* Filth, '*  "malaria,'*  and 
"offensive  smells,"  are  all  right  provided  they  are 
reform  "filth,"  reform  "malaria,"  and  reform 
"smells."  In  city  matters  we  are  enjoying  simple 
"reform;"  in  county  matters,  it  is  "whisky,  oysters 
and  reform. ' '  Go  easy^  Mr.  Sketch.  Speak  reverently 
of  the  local  powers  that  be  —  for  they  are  all  "re- 
form." 

The  name  of  the  English  paper  underwent  an- 
other change  before  the  year  1882  ended:  its 
American  rival  in  the  field  welcomed  The  Lemars 
Truth  as  follows : 

Mr.  Dacres  has  associated  with  him  E.  E.  Bradley 
in  the  editorial  management.  Of  Mr.  B.  we  know 
nothing,  but  Charlie  Dacres  swings  a  lively  and  pun- 
gent quill,  which  insures  a  spicy  paper  ....  We  wish 
it  abundant  success.^"' 


SALOONS  AND  OTHER  THINGS  219 

Due  to  failing  health  Charles  Dacres  announced 
the  discontinuance  of  his  venture  after  ten  months' 
publication.  The  subsequent  career  of  Dacres, 
while  not  brilliant,  was  at  least  lurid  to  a  high 
degree.  He  celebrated  his  twenty-sixth  birthday 
by  having  his  ''friends  in"  to  help.  As  a  member 
of  ''The  Wide  Awake  Hose  Company",  while  ex- 
tinguishing a  fire,  he  fell  from  the  roof  and  suf- 
fered injuries  that  kept  him  in  bed  a  considerable 
time.  He  is  also  credited  with  having  been  editor 
of  The  Lemars  World  and  The  Mirror.^^^ 

After  thirty-one  attempts  had  been  made  to  lay 
the  town  in  ashes  and  Le  Mars  had  suffered 
$100,000  in  fire  losses  in  two  years,  suspicion 
pointed  to  yoimg  Dacres :  indeed,  while  serving  as 
editor  of  The  Globe,  he  was  arrested,  indicted  for 
arson,  tried,  and  acquitted.  And  upon  being  ac- 
cused by  The  Sentinel  of  defending  "theft  and 
rascality  as  well  as  bummerism",  he  retaliated  by 
bringing  an  action  for  libel  for  $5000.  This  only 
led  the  defendant  to  take  another  thrust  at  "the 
pure  and  spotless  Dacres",  and  when  Mrs.  Dacres' 
name  was  dragged  into  the  scandal  two  years  later, 
the  young  man  went  to  the  editor  in  good  temper 
and  declared  that  the  newspaper  had  done  his  wife 
a  great  injustice :  he  admitted  he  had  been  wild  in 
his  time,  but  claimed  that  Mrs.  Dacres  had  stood 
by  him  with  a  loyalty  commanding  admiration, 


220  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

and  had  always  been  an  influence  with  him  for 
good. 

In  the  summer  of  1887  Dacres,  as  editor  of  The 
Glohe,  issued  a  daily  journal  during  the  week's 
celebration  of  Queen  Victoria's  jubilee."" 


XX 
SOCIAL  LIFE:     THE  PRAIRIE  CLUB 

Social  life  in  the  English  colony  does  not  seem 
to  have  suffered  seriously  from  the  fact  that  its 
participants,  trained  in  the  best  traditions  of  Eng- 
land, had  been  transplanted  to  a  frontier  country. 
Their  workaday  duties  as  farmers  and  business 
men  did  not  prevent  them,  however  widely  scat- 
tered throughout  several  counties,  from  continuing 
the  customs  and  habits  so  thoroughly  acquired  in 
Old  England.  Although  they  never  attained  any 
startling  numerical  strength  as  compared  with 
their  American  neighbors,  the  English  made  their 
presence  felt  in  no  uncertain  way.  Those  who  cut 
themselves  off  from  their  countrymen  in  north- 
western Iowa  must  have  felt  like  exiles  among 
strangers  and  life  to  them  must  have  lacked  the 
sunshine  of  sociability:  they  could  not  enjoy  the 
priceless  advantage  of  being  among  people  of 
their  own  tastes  and  home  associations.  It  is  well 
known  how  young  Englishmen  have  adapted  them- 
selves to  all  sorts  of  conditions  in  every  part  of 
the  world;   but   w^hether   they  maintained   their 


221 


222  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

reputation  in  that  respect  in  Iowa  there  are  at 
least  some  reasons  to  doubt. 

One  of  the  most  flourishing  social  institutions  of 
the  city  of  Le  Mars  for  many  years  was  the 
Prairie  Club  founded  by  Englishmen  shortly  be- 
fore New  Year's,  1881,  at  Captain  Moreton's  Dro- 
more  Farm.  Present  at  the  first  meeting  were 
M.  J.  Chapman,  A.  Ronaldson,  H.  J.  Moreton, 
Arthur  Gee,  A.  R.  T.  Dent,  Lord  Hobart,  Captain 
Moreton,  Captain  F.  R.  Robinson,  H.  A.  and  J.  G. 
Watson,  A.  C.  CoUedge,  J,  H.  Preston,  F.  R.  Price, 
G.  C.  Maclagan,  W.  Stubbs,  T.  Dealtry,  M.  B. 
Dodsworth,  C.  EUer,  and  O.  T.  Raymond.  Elegant 
rooms  in  the  business  block  built  by  Frank  C.  Cob- 
den,  an  Englishman  of  means,  became  the  club's 
home  on  December  17,  1881,  its  inauguration  be- 
ing marked  by  a  conversazione  to  which  a  number 
of  friends  received  special  invitations.  Shortly 
after  prohibition  went  into  effect  in  1882  the  club 
rooms  underwent  improvements  that  added  "vast- 
ly to  their  elegant  appearance  and  not  a  little  to 
their  convenience".  According  to  a  contempora- 
neous account  of  the  event: 

This  club  is  composed  entirely  of  English  residents 
who  have  thus  banded  together  for  mutual  pleasure 
and  profit  and  in  the  arrangement  and  decoration  of 
their  apartments  have  spared  no  expense.  The  apart- 
ments of  the  club  consist  in  all  of  five  large  rooms, 


SOCIAL  LIFE :   THE  PRAIRIE  CLUB  223 

the  parlors  and  writing  rooms  being  particularly 
noticeable  for  their  beautiful  furniture  and  fine  finish. 
In  the  first  of  these  rooms  is  a  fine  billiard  table  of 
the  latest  improved  manufacture,  elegantly  up- 
holstered easy  chairs,  sofas,  etc.  In  the  room  just 
back  of  this  and  into  which  it  opens  through  large 
folding  doors  is  another  room  corresponding  in  size 
and  finish  wdth  the  first.  Here  are  books,  magazines, 
papers,  etc.  This  room  is  also  supplied  with  tables, 
easy  chairs  and  lamps  and  affords  a  very  pleasant 
place  in  which  to  while  away  an  hour  or  two.  Direct- 
ly back  of  this  room  is  a  smaller  room  very  finely 
finished  and  furnished  with  writing  desks  and  writing 
material.  The  sample  or  refreshment  room  is  located 
just  at  the  right  of  the  main  entrance  and  is  supplied 
almost  exclusively  with  imported  goods.  The  sleeping 
apartments  are  just  across  the  hall  from  the  refresh- 
ment room  and  are  very  neatly  furnished.  All  have 
been  arranged  with  an  eye  to  comfort  as  well  as 
beauty  and  are  under  the  management  of  some  of  the 
leading  English  residents.  At  present,  we  learn,  the 
club  has  about  forty-five  members  and  is  in  a  very 
flourishing  condition  both  socially  and  financially .^^^ 

A  special  event  in  the  early  history  of  the  club 
was  the  entertainment  contributed  by  the  Prairie 
Minstrels,  an  organization  of  the  younger  mem- 
bers whose  musical  talent  simply  had  to  find  ex- 
pression: H.  Rickards,  piano;  C.  H.  Eccles,  flute; 
F.  E.  Romanes,  violin ;  B.  H.  Thomson,  violincello ; 
W.  H.  Stevens,  banjo ;  James  Douglas,  drum ;  Jack 
Walkinshaw,  bones;  J.  H.  Grayson,  triangle;  C. 


224  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

E.  Dacres,  tamborine ;  F.  Horsburgh,  A.  W.  Mait- 
land,  D.  Hewett,  E.  F.  Robertson,  F.  R.  Price,  and 
Richard  Walker,  voice. 

After  some  rehearsing,  the,  Prairie  Minstrels 
emerged  ''in  all  the  glory  of  burnt  cork  and  col- 
lars a  yard  long",  played  to  the  Prairie  Club  and 
then  to  the  public  in  Apollo  Hall,  and  later 
showered  their  melody  on  neighboring  towns.  At 
a  later  date  the  English  boys  were  declared  a  suc- 
cess also  as  "Home  Minstrels".  As  the  Le  Mars 
Dramatic  Company  they  appeared  at  Sheldon  and 
Sibley  where  their  English  friends  banqueted 
them  royally."^ 

The  Prairie  Club  became  well-known  to  Amer- 
icans for  its  courtesy  and  hospitality.  Its  social 
evenings  and  other  gatherings  attained  wide  popu- 
larity among  those  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  be 
invited.  Every  year,  on  the  anniversary  of  the 
club's  founding,  each  member  invited  an  American 
as  guest  for  the  birthday  celebration.  In  recog- 
nition of  these  repeated  courtesies,  Americans  in 
1885  tendered  their  English  hosts  a  dimier-dance 
at  the  Le  Mars  hotel.  The  remarks  made  by 
Colonel  Emery  in  his  address  to  the  gentlemen  of 
the  club  and  their  response  as  publicly  reported 
are  worthy  of  repetition  here : 

You  came  among  us  when  the  grasshopper  was  a 
burden,  when  the  outlook  for  this  beautiful  northwest 


SOCIAL  LIFE :   THE  PRAIRIE  CLUB  225 

was  anything  but  flattering,  but  bringing  with  you 
financial  ability  and  social  worth  and  putting  these 
factors  into  immediate  and  effective  use,  you  were  in- 
strumental largely  in  saving  us  from  financial  em- 
barrassment, and  forming  a  social  attachment  un- 
sullied. You  have  also  manifested  your  social  ability 
by  throwing  open  the  doors  of  your  club  parlors  to 
our  citizens,  and  giving  us  delightful  entertainment 
and  social  intercourse,  and  to  more  fully  reciprocate 
your  kindness,  your  American  friends  of  Le  Mars 
have  tendered  this  social  reception  and  trust  that  it 
may  be  an  oasis  in  the  memory  of  all.  Allow  me,  Mr. 
President,  to  present  to  you  this  banner  in  behalf  of 
your  American  friends,  and  as  it  decorates  the  walls 
of  your  club  room  with  its  letters  of  gold  and  appear- 
ance of  beauty  may  the  golden  chord  of  friendship 
encircle  us  for  time  infinitum. 

Mr.  Garnett,  vice-president  of  the  Prairie  club,  in 
the  absence  of  President  Eccles,  accepted  the  banner, 
in  a  few  well  chosen  words  in  substance  as  follows: 
That  it  afforded  him  great  pleasure  in  behalf  of  his 
club  to  accept  this  emblem  of  friendship  from  Amer- 
ican friends;  that  this  elegant  reception  and  musical 
and  social  entertainment  could  only  more  closely 
cement  the  tie  of  friendship,  which  already  existed; 
that  his  people  have  no  reason  to  regret  coming  here, 
and  as  this  was  to  be  the  future  home  of  many  of  them 
the  evening's  manifestation  of  good  feeling  could  only 
tend  to  bring  the  people  of  the  two  lands  nearer  to- 
gether; and  that  the  occasion  would  be  long  remem- 
bered and  his  trust  was  that  the  future  might  be  as 
fruitful  of  pleasures  as  the  present  and  the  past.    He 


226  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

spoke  with  much  feeling  and  closed  with  a  proposal 
of  three  cheers  for  the  American  friends.  Mr.  Chap- 
man proposed  three  cheers  for  the  ladies  and  Col. 
Emery  suggested  that  all  unite  in  three  cheers  for  the 
old  and  new  country.  The  thunders  that  followed 
made  numerous  and  sundry  of  the  regular  guests  of 
the  hotel  to  turn  over  in  their  beds  and  wonder  if  it 
was  a  baby  cyclone  or  a  London  edition  of  dynamiting. 
Many  then  departed  for  home,  others  repaired  again 
to  the  dancing  hall  spending  two  hours  or  more  in 
revelry  of  musical  motion  —  and  thus  ended  an  event 
that  makes  a  new  era  in  the  fellowship  between  Eng- 
land and  America  in  Le  Mars."^ 

Down  to  the  year  1892  the  Prairie  Club  admit- 
ted to  membership  only  those  who  were  or  had 
been  British  subjects,  the  entrance  fee  being  $25 
and  annual  dues  about  as  much  more.  As  the 
club's  numbers  dwindled,  it  was  decided  to  admit 
Americans  as  *^ sustaining  members":''^*  the  latter 
have  in  fact  enabled  the  organization  to  survive 
until  to-day,  but  with  prohibition  in  force  the  club 
is  not  what  it  was  in  the  olden  days. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  English  settlement 
dancing  parties  were  a  frequent  feature  of  the 
social  life.  The  Closes  and  their  friends  enjoyed 
the  ball  room  at  Le  Mars,  especially  in  the  winter 
months  of  1880.  On  one  occasion  the  Closes 
chartered  an  engine  and  coach  to  convey  from 
Sioux  City  certain  guests  invited  to  a  festival  at 


SOCIAL  LIFE :   THE  PRAIRIE  CLUB  227 

the  Albion  House.  Nor  were  masquerades  un- 
common. As  a  charming  close  to  the  Le  Mars 
Races  in  Jime,  1881,  the  Close  brothers  gave  a 
"Soiree  Dansante''  to  visiting  friends.  A  news 
item  of  the  day  told  of  the  event  as  follows : 

The  invited  guests  gathered  in  the  brilliantly  light- 
ed room,  the  north  wall  of  which  was  draped  with 
American  and  English  flags.  In  the  southeast  corner 
a  boudoir  was  extemporized,  in  which  a  fine  coUation 
was  served.  About  sixty  couples  were  present,  among 
whom  we  noticed,  besides  the  English  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  W.  H.  Dent  and  wife,  P.  F.  Dalton  and 
Avife,  Miss  Jennie  Buchanan  —  all  of  Lemars.  From 
Sioux  City  we  noted  Judge  Allison,  wife  and  daugh- 
ters, Fannie  and  Hattie;  Miss  Goewey;  Miss  Pease; 
Miss  Davis ;  Miss  Cornish ;  Miss  Weare ;  S.  M.  Marsh ; 
J.  H.  Bolton ;  A.  J.  Moore ;  F.  D.  Peters ;  C.  M.  Swan ; 
W.  H,  Beck;  and  Ehla  Allen  of  St.  Paul.  Music  was 
furnished  by  the  Sioux  City  Quadrille  Band.  The 
gentlemen  were  dressed  in  the  most  approved  style 
prevailing  at  English  evening  parties,  and  the  ladies 
wore  the  rich  and  varied  toilets,  it  is  their  privilege 
to  assume.  The  dance  was  entered  into  with  spirit, 
and  at  an  early  hour  the  party  broke  up,  with  a  lively 
sense  of  the  generosity  and  urbanity  of  their  hosts.^" 

The  Le  Mars  Jockey  Club  very  frequently  end- 
ed an  exciting  day  of  races  in  June  or  October 
with  a  grand  race  ball. 

Sometimes  the  colonists  came  from  the  four 
corners  to  picnic  together.    Thus,  one  day  in  July 


228  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

a  merry  cavalcade  led  by  a  four-in-hand  drove 
north  down  Main  Street,  *'Jack  Wakefield  wind- 
ing the  horn  and  waking  the  echoes  in  old  English 
style'',  all  seeking  the  cool  shades  of  Payne's 
grove.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  Ronaldson,  as  host  and 
hostess,  were  ably  assisted  by  the  EUer  brothers; 
**and  never  did  the  festal  bowers  of  this  popular 
picnic  ground  witness  a  jollier  gathering."  Be- 
sides those  mentioned  there  were  present  the  Mor- 
gans, Hirsts,  Chapmans,  Humbles,  Bensons,  and 
the  Messrs.  F.  B.  Close,  Christian,  Desmoulins, 
Ewen,  Farquhar,  Gaskell,  Grayson,  Grouse,  Mac- 
lagan,  Paley,  Rickards,  Romanes,  Wakefield, 
Walker,  Warren,  Watson,  and  Wilde.  **  After  the 
wants  of  the  inner  man  had  been  supplied,  the 
woods  became  vocal  with  the  songs  of  merrie  Eng- 
land, and  in  the  lull  of  lively  carols  reminis- 
cences of  the  tight  little  Isle  were  indulged  in,  and 
memories  of  happy  gatherings  were  recalled." 

Quite  extraordinary  was  the  amoimt  of  travel- 
ing back  and  forth  between  England  and  the  Le 
Mars  colony.  William  B.  Close  and  his  bride 
journeyed  to  the  former's  old  home  on  business 
and  pleasure  bent.  Jack  Wakefield  always  re- 
turned "hale,  hearty  and  happy  as  of  yore", 
though  his  friends  feared  once  that  his  vessel  had 
gone  down.  John  Hopkinson  also  found  time  one 
winter  to  visit  old  scenes.    A  delegation  of  healthy, 


SOCIAL  LIFE :    THE  PRAIRIE  CLUB  229 

substantial,  well-to-do  looking  English  settlers 
from  Tete  des  Morts,  Canada,  came  to  look  at  the 
colony  in  March,  1881.  Two  brothers  came  to  see 
John  Milne  of  the  Hawks  Nest,  and  Captain  Stur- 
gess  also  visited  his  friends.  Accompanying  Mr. 
Sykes  who  left  Manchester  to  inspect  his  holdings 
in  Lyon  Comity  in  the  spring  of  1881,  John  Brooks 
Close  called  upon  his  brothers  at  Le  Mars. 

In  April  almost  every  year  Admiral  Farquhar 
of  Her  Majesty's  Navy  journeyed  to  visit  his 
daughter  and  six  sons  Albert,  Joseph,  Mowbray, 
Will,  Charles,  and  James  on  his  farm;  and  Cap- 
tain Moreton,  also  formerly  in  the  Royal  Navy, 
entertained  for  him.  Adair  Colpoys,  while  on  a 
visit  to  his  old  friend  Herbert  Cope  with  whom 
he  had  spent  years  in  the  Far  East,  decided  to 
make  his  home  in  Le  Mars.  On  their  American 
tour  Lord  and  Lady  Harris  included  the  colony 
where  her  brothers,  the  Jervis  boys,  were  pupils 
of  Captain  Moreton.  Great  was  the  disappoint- 
ment when  the  Duke  of  Sutherland  passed  through 
Le  Mars  without  stopping  to  call  upon  his  fellow 
countrymen.  Lord  Carlin,  however,  did  better; 
and  the  Earl  of  Dunmore  promised  to  look  over 
the  country  before  going  extensively  into  the  stock 
business.  During  her  stay  Lady  Howard  addressed 
the  people  of  the  Congregational  Church.  Lord 
Hobart,  ''a  real  live  scion  of  the  English  nobility", 


230  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

after  a  few  years  ^  residence  at  Le  Mars,  left  in 
1885  to  enter  the  British  army  for  service  in  the 
Soudan,  a  large  number  of  friends  bidding  him 
fareweU."" 

At  various  times  visits  were  paid  to  the  mother 
country,  England  or  Scotland,  by  such  colonists 
as  W.  A.  Paulton,  G.  C.  Maclagan,  H.  Rickards, 
F.  C.  S.  Dodsworth  (*' whose  eccentricities,  reck- 
lessness, and  genial  nature  had  made  him  a  general 
favorite"),  J.  H.  Grayson,  H.  J.  M.  Dalton,  A. 
W.  Maitland  (another  popular  youth),  J.  C. 
Cooper,  Charles  EUer  (returning  with  his  sister), 
Henry  and  Reginald  Moreton,  and  ''four  as  good 
fellows  as  the  English  colony  could  boast",  Fred 
Horsburgh,  H.  Hillyard,  ^lajor  Brockbank,  and 
Tom  Dowglass.  Some  of  these  gentlemen  returned 
with  brides,  others  with  friends  to  join  the  colony. 
At  least  one  Englishman,  Herbert  Cope,  "a  very 
intelligent  and  practical  agriculturist  and  shrewd 
business  man",  who  went  to  England  to  look  after 
his  affairs  there  and  in  China,  brought  his  family 
back  to  Le  Mars  a  year  later,  having  found  the 
old  world  not  so  attractive  as  he  anticipated. 

Of  visiting  within  the  colony  there  was  not  a 
little.  Percy  Prescott  "had  a  large  gathering  of 
the  boys"  at  his  home  between  Alton  and  Orange 
City  in  Sioux  County;  and  the  Close  brothers 
after  removing  to  Sibley  and  Pipestone  sometimes 


SOCIAL  LIFE :    THE  PRAIRIE  CLUB  231 

came  as  the  guests  of  their  friends  at  Le  Mars, 
as  did  other  English  people  from  those  towns  and 
Sioux  City  and  Akron,  although  English  residents 
in  the  latter  place  very  early  scattered  to  the  four 
quarters  of  the  globe.  At  one  time  many  of  the 
colonists  journeyed  to  Sioux  City  to  hear  their 
countryman,  Oscar  Wilde,  'Hhe  great  aesthete". 

Especially  enjoyable  was  the  journey  of  a  dele- 
gation in  1881  to  take  Christmas  dinner  with  a 
number  of  British  brethren  at  Florence,  Kansas: 
after  a  sumptuous  repast,  including  Budweiser 
and  English  bottled  ale,  came  a  toast  to  Queen 
Victoria  and  the  national  anthem,  followed  by 
toasts  to  "The  President  of  the  United  States", 
*'The  Ladies",  and  "Absent  Friends".  Montague 
Chapman  of  Le  Mars  then  "made  a  neat  little 
speech  stating  that,  while  the  colony  at  that  place 
numbered  about  600,  and  was  probably  the  strong- 
est in  the  United  States,  their  organization  or 
club  of  sixty  members  was  far  behind  what  he  had 
seen  here,  and  could  not  get  up  such  a  dinner  as 
they  had  just  enjoyed."  Mr.  Colledge,  having  re- 
ceived vociferous  applause  for  his  singing,  ren- 
dered several  encores."""  A  few  days  later  the 
guests  while  touring  New  Mexico  were  made  the 
theme  of  a  newspaper  story: 

The  Pacific  express  was  detained  in  Raton  several 
hours  on  Monday  which  gave  us  an  opportunity  for 


232  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

making  the  acquaintance  of  a  jolly  party  of  British- 
ers, a  delegation  from  the  famous  English  colony  at 
Lemars,  Iowa.  The  delegation  consisted  of  Mr.  M. 
J.  Chapman,  Secretary  of  the  Colony,  and  his  wife; 
Messrs.  H.  A.  Watson,  A.  C.  CoUedge,  C.  Eller,  H.  C. 
Christian,  A.  G.  M.  MacNair,  and  H.  DePledge.  These 
young  gentlemen  are  representative  men  in  the  colony, 
which  includes  members  of  families  of  high  social 
standing  in  England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  and  Wales. 
The  colony  numbers  about  six  hundred  at  present,  and 
comprises  fine  agricultural  and  stock  farms,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  $3,000,000  capital  having  already 
been  invested.  The  Lemars  delegation  was  in  charge 
of  Mr.  S.  Nugent  Townshend,  correspondent  of  the 
London  Field  and  President  of  the  British  Association 
of  Kansas.  Mr.  Townshend  was  assisted  by  Mr.  W. 
P.  Denton-Cardew  also  of  the  British  Association,  who 
visited  Raton  a  few  wrecks  since.  The  party  paid  a 
visit  to  Santa  Fe  and  passed  east  by  Thursday's  At- 
lantic express.  All  of  the  party  have  accepted  an 
invitation  to  join  a  fishing  expedition  that  will  start 
out  from  Raton  next  summer  on  a  three-weeks  tour 
of  Colfax  county.^^* 

Considering  the  large  number  of  handsome 
young  Englishmen  in  northwestern  Iowa,  it  is 
not  surprising  that  weddings  sometimes  occurred. 
The  distinction  of  contracting  the  first  marriage 
within  the  colony  belongs  to  Montague  J.  Chap- 
man and  Aimee  de  Pledge:  their  honeymoon  con- 
sisted of  a  trip  to  the  Mardi  Gras  and  a  weary 
return  through  a  real  western  snow  blockade.    The 


SOCIAL  LIFE :   THE  PRAIRIE  CLUB  233 

first  colonist  to  select  a  wife,  however,  was  no  less 
than  the  founder  of  the  colony,  William  B.  Close. 
At  New  York  City  he  married  the  lady  of  his 
choice,  Mary  PauUin,  whose  father,  Daniel  Paul- 
lin,  had  induced  the  Close  brothers  to  invest  in 
lands  adjacent  to  Le  Mars.^^^ 

William  Edgecomb,  who  had  secured  a  license 
to  wed  ]\Iary  Fowler  upon  arrival  at  New  York 
and  lost  it,  married  the  lady  at  his  farm  near 
Sergeant's  Bluff.  Charles  Kay  and  Walter  Abra- 
ham Paulton  returned  from  England  with  brides ; 
and  W.  B.  Young  took  a  bride  at  Alva,  Scotland. 
Other  notable  marriages  within  the  settlement- 
were  those  of  Andrew  Dowglass,  John  Campbell, 
Frederick  Kingsbury  Veal,  James  Brough  War- 
ren, Randolph  Payne,  Alfred  Robert  Tighe  Dent, 
and  Hugh  Lyon  Playfair  Chiene,  the  latter  to 
Florence  Emily  Sugden.  A  most  interesting  and 
elaborate  society  event  in  the  autumn  of  1881  was 
the  marriage  of  Fred  Brooks  Close  to  Margaret 
Humble,  both  English  residents  of  Le  Mars.  A 
formal  dance  at  Apollo  Hall  preceded  the  wedding 
ceremony  at  Grace  Church:  attending  this  festal 
gathering  w^ere  the  elite  of  the  English  colony,  a 
few  Le  Mars  and  Sioux  City  citizens,  and  most 
distinguished  of  all,  John  Walters,  member  of 
Parliament  and  proprietor  of  the  London  Times, 
who  happened  to  be  in  the  city  on  his  tour  of  the 


234  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

United  States,  accompanied  by  his  daughter.  The 
popular  bride  and  groom  banqueted  their  guests 
at  the  Albion  House,  were  showered  with  expen- 
sive wedding  gifts,  and  later  departed  for  a  seven 
months*  honeymoon  in  England,  France,  and  other 
continental  countries.^*" 

But  death  came  occasionally  to  interrupt  the 
routine  of  workaday  life  and  to  mar  the  gaiety  of 
social  intercourse  among  the  English  colonists. 
When  President  Garfield  died  from  the  effects  of 
an  assassin's  bullet,  Englishmen  at  Le  Mars  quick- 
ly responded  in  the  hour  of  the  nation's  sorrow  by 
holding  impressive  memorial  services.  With  the 
Union  Jack  draped  beneath  the  portrait  of  the 
martyr  president.  Rev.  Cunningham  and  Captain 
Moreton  addressed  a  meeting  of  their  friends  and 
many  of  them  penned  a  letter  of  sympathy  to  the 
grief -stricken  widow."^ 

Nor  did  the  Grim  Reaper  fail  to  take  toll  among 
the  colonists  themselves  during  the  early  years  — 
especially  in  the  winter  months.  At  Albion  House 
died  John  S.  Grundy,  but  lately  arrived  from  Eng- 
land; while  pneumonia  took  the  life  of  Hugh,  aged 
twenty-three,  eldest  son  of  Sir  Edward  Hornby  of 
Sussex.  About  the  same  time  Ernest  Taylor  and 
Herbert  Dalton,  aged  thirty-one,  succumbed  to 
diphtheria.  News  of  the  accidental  death  of  Hugh 
Watson  while  himting  in  Scotland  spread  deepest 


SOCIAL  LIFE  :   THE  PRAIRIE  CLUB  235 

gloom  among  the  many  friends  who  were  expect- 
ing to  welcome  him  back  to  the  ranch  which  he 
and  his  brother  owned  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Big 
Sioux  River. 

If  English  settlers  entertained  any  doubt  about 
the  uncertainty  of  life,  the  month  of  March,  1883, 
must  have  dispelled  the  last  trace :  the  passing  of 
Mrs.  G.  C.  Maclagan  and  of  Walter,  son  of  Gen- 
eral Lockhart  of  British  India,  due  to  consump- 
tion, occurred  almost  contemporaneously  with  the 
suicide  of  Basil  Dempsey,  a  pleasant,  good- 
natured,  well-to-do  young  man  who  had  just  re- 
turned to  his  farm  from  a  trip  to  Texas.  Particu- 
larly shocking  among  the  younger  set  was  the  end 
of  Alexander  W.  Dunwaters,  not  yet  aged  twenty- 
one  and  once  a  farm  pupil  of  Captain  Moreton: 
he  had  left  a  wealthy  mother  in  England  to  visit 
and  to  hunt  with  his  friends  in  Iowa ;  but  after  a 
short  struggle  with  pneumonia  he  succumbed,  and 
sorrowing  countrymen  laid  him  in  the  grave.^*^ 

Sad,  too,  were  the  tidmgs  when  a  friend  or  rela- 
tive passed  away  in  the .  old  home  thousands  of 
miles  away.  A  telegram  received  at  the  Prairie 
Club  told  of  the  death  of  William  E.  Gladstone. 
Charles  Dacres  mourned  the  loss  of  his  aged 
father,  Admiral  Sir  Sydney  Colpoys  Dacres;  and 
a  brother  grieved  over  the  mitimely  end  of  Lord 
St.  Vincent  on  the  field  of  battle  in  the  Soudan. 


236  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

If  any  member  of  the  English  colony  in  the 
early  years  had  the  fortune  to  become  a  peer  of 
the  British  realm,  a  vigilant  press  at  Le  Mars 
failed  to  record  the  fact ;  and  when  in  a  burst  of 
enthusiasm  a  newspaper  announced  that  the  Hon. 
Henry  Frank  Sugden  of  Arlington  Township, 
Woodbury  County  (''Old  Sug"  as  the  colonists 
familiarly  called  him),  had  just  succeeded  to  the 
baron}'  of  St.  Leonard,  by  the  death  of  his  brother, 
Mrs.  Sugden  entered  a  prompt,  if  not  vigorous, 
denial."' 


XXI 

ENGLISH  CHURCH  LIFE  IN  NORTH- 
WESTERN IOWA 

The  fact  that  members  of  the  English  colony 
had  severed  their  connections  with  the  Anglican 
Church  of  the  mother  country  did  not  mean  a 
lapse  of  religious  life  in  the  wilds  of  northwestern 
Iowa.  On  the  contrary,  as  early  as  April,  1880, 
the  Rev.  H.  P.  Marriott-Dodington  of  Trinity 
College  (Cambridge),  a  clergyman  of  independent 
means  with  estates  in  Dorset,  was  ministering 
gratuitously  to  their  needs  in  the  parish  of  Grace 
Church  at  Le  Mars.  During  his  absence  to  look 
after  his  affairs  in  England,  lay  services  were  con- 
ducted in  Apollo  Hall  by  M.  J.  Chapman  and 
Captain  Moreton  whom  the  Bishop  of  the  Iowa 
Diocese  had  asked  to  be  ordained.  Early  in  March, 
1881,  the  rector  returned  to  his  parish  and  took  a 
foremost  part  in  promoting  the  building  of  a  place 
of  worship;  but  it  was  not  long  before  he  foimd 
it  necessary  to  journey  back  to  England  to  be  gone 
for  at  least  one  year. 

As  lay  reader.  Captain  Moreton  again  took 
charge  until  the  arrival  in  August,  1881,  of  a  new 

237 


238  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

rector,  Rev.  Herbert  Noel  Cunningham  of  Brase- 
nose  College,  a  graduate  of  Oxford  University  and 
a  man  of  fine  ability  and  great  scholarship.  Or- 
dained in  England  by  the  Bishop  of  Oxford,  he 
resigned  his  cure  near  Reading  and  came  to  Le 
Mars.  He  had  visited  Bishop  Perry  at  Daven- 
port, Iowa,  and  had  been  made  a  presbyter  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of  America.  His 
appointment  was  duly  confirmed,  and  induction 
by  the  Bishop  of  Iowa  followed  soon  after.  Ser- 
vices according  to  the  Anglican  ritual  thus  became 
regular  among  the  English  settlers ;  and,  according 
to  a  newspaper  report,  to  Le  Mars  belonged  the 
^*  distinction  of  possessing  the  only  church  in  the 
United  States  wherein  prayers  are  offered  for 
Queen  Victoria  as  the  head  of  a  nation  ".^^* 

The  rector's  first  duty,  it  is  said,  was  the  burial 
at  Portlandville  (now  Akron),  fourteen  miles 
away,  of  a  countryman  who  had  but  recently 
crossed  the  ocean  to  make  his  home  in  Iowa.  There 
he  also  held  services  at  stated  intervals  for  the 
benefit  of  his  English  parishioners.  On  one  such 
occasion  his  pulpit  at  Le  Mars  was  ably  filled  by 
Canon  Neville  who  had  purchased  a  section  of 
land  in  Sioux  County  and  offered  it  for  sale  at 
eight  dollars  per  acre  in  order  that  he  might  be 
nearer  his  friends  in  Plymouth  County.  It  is  in- 
teresting to  note  here  that  another  distinguished 


ENGLISH  CHURCH  LIFE  239 

churchman  had  recently  invested  in  thirteen  hun- 
dred acres  of  Sioux  County  land  —  Rev.  F.  G. 
Howard,  M.  A.,  Fellow  of  Trinity  College  and 
Proctor  of  Cambridge  University,  which  last  title 
prompted  the  newspaper  scribe  at  Le  Mars  to 
write:  ''We  dare  say  our  good  friend  Mr.  J. 
Wakefield  will  remember  when,  in  his  college  days, 
he  met  Mr.  Howard  at  a  wine  in  Malcolm 
Street.  "'^^  At  another  time  Rev.  Edgar  Jacob, 
vicar  of  Portsea,  officiated  in  Grace  Church. 

In  his  travels  about  the  country  to  meet  the 
members  of  his  widely  scattered  flock,  the  rector 
also  conducted  services  at  West  Fork  or  Quorn 
(the  home  of  William  B.  Close).  Not  content 
with  his  labors  as  a  circuit-riding  parson,  he 
undertook  to  conduct  a  school  or  academy  for  the 
children  of  his  parish  and  organized  a  singing 
class  for  their  benefit,  so  great  w^as  his  diligence 
and  enthusiasm  as  a  w^orker.  As  a  token  of  his 
parishioners'  appreciation,  he  received  an  elegant 
student's  lamp  at  the  time  of  his  first  Christmas 
party  in  the  colony.  He  became,  moreover,  the* 
president  of  a  chess  club  of  eighteen  members  who 
met  frequently  to  enjoy  their  favorite  indoor 
game.  He  also  advertised  that  as  late  Colghitt 
Exhibitioner  of  Brasenose  College  and  graduate 
in  classical  honors  he  would  undertake  the  educa- 
tion of  boys  and  make  arrangements  for  boarding 


240  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

pupils:  and  so,  shortly  after  New  Yearns,  1883,  he 
opened  a  day  school  for  boys  and  girls.  A  few 
weeks  later  he  journeyed  to  Philadelphia  to  await 
the  arrival  of  his  fiancee  from  England  and  re- 
turned to  Le  Mars  a  benedict.  In  the  summer 
occurred  the  consecration  of  Grace  Church's  new" 
place  of  worship  as  St.  George's  Church,  which 
had  been  erected  at  a  cost  of  $6000.''" 

An  event  of  some  importance  in  the  history  of 
St.  George's  parish  at  this  time  was  the  coming 
of  Major  Nassau  Somerville  Stephens  and  his 
family,  announcement  of  the  fact  at  Le  Mars  be- 
ing conveyed  by  one  of  the  newspapers  in  the 
following  terms: 

Major  Nassau  Stephens,  of  the  Eoyal  Marine  Light 
Infantry,  arrived  here  last  Thursday,  and  will  act  for 
the  time  being  as  Lay  Reader  in  St.  George's  church 
at  this  place.  The  Major  served  in  the  British  army 
twenty-two  years,  but  finally  decided  to  take  orders, 
for  which  he  is  now  preparing.  His  ordination  is  ex- 
pected to  take  place  in  Lemars  about  Christmas.  He 
is  a  frank,  genial,  earnest  gentleman,  deeply  imbued 
with  a  spirit  of  devotion  for  the  work  to  which  he 
consecrates  his  life,  the  sentinel  wishes  him  suc- 
cess, and  his  family  much  pleasure  in  their  chosen 
home. 

After  his  ordination  the  major  declared  he 
would  probably  do  mission  work  in  the  parish.  He 
attended   Nashotah    Theological    Seminary,    was 


ENGLISH  CHURCH  LIFE  241 

recommended  for  deacon's  orders  in  1889,  and  in 
due  time  became  a  priest.^" 

Along  with  all  the  activities  already  suggested, 
Rev.  Cunningham  three  times  during  his  incum- 
bency prepared  for  the  press  St.  George's  edition 
of  the  monthly  publication  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  in  lowa.^^®  To  the  sincere  regret  of  the 
whole  parish,  which  had  found  him  earnest,  effi- 
cient, and  faithful  in  his  work.  Rev.  Cunningham 
tendered  his  resignation  to  take  effect  on  April  4, 
1884,  and  bore  with  him  to  a  church  in  Gardner, 
Massachusetts,  the  best  wishes  of  his  numerous 
Le  Mars  friends.  Services  in  St.  George's  Church 
were  then  conducted  by  the  Revs.  B.  R.  Kirkbride, 
G.  W.  Seppings,  J.  E.  Higgins,  and  H.  L.  Brad- 
don.  Not  until  November  27,  1884,  did  the  Rev. 
A.  Vaughan  Colston  fill  the  vacancy.  He  re- 
mained for  about  four  years. 

For  the  benefit  of  the  rectory  the  parishioners 
rendered  Gilbert  and  Sullivan's  ** Pirates  of  Pen- 
zance" in  the  playhouses  at  Sioux  City  and  Le 
Mars ;  and  upon  the  death  of  General  Grant  they 
paid  a  solemn  tribute  to  his  memory  and  charac- 
ter. To  celebrate  Queen  Victoria's  jubilee  in  1887 
Rev.  Colston  preached  a  jubilee  sermon  to  Amer- 
icans and  English  in  St.  George's  Church,  draped 
w^ith  the  flags  of  both  countries.  The  rector  closed 
with  the  words:    "If,  this  morning,  I  have  re- 


242  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

vived  your  patriotism,  it  is  but  to  make  you  love 
your  adopted  country  the  better".  After  the  ser- 
mon the  congregation  sang  ''God  Save  the 
Queen.""' 

Not  only  did  Captain  Moreton  serve  as  lay 
reader  in  the  colony's  Episcopal  Church,  as  in- 
dicated above,  but  as  one  of  its  most  active  leaders 
in  religious  life  he  early  exerted  himself  in  the 
formation  of  a  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion, and  he  worked  for  a  home  in  which  the  young 
men  of  the  community  might  spend  their  evenings 
and  leisure  hours.  Having  obtained  $1500  from 
friends  in  England,  he  sought  an  equal  amount 
among  the  people  who  were  to  be  the  beneficiaries 
of  his  project.  He  secured  the  good  wishes  and 
support  of  many  citizens  who  hoped  that  the  asso- 
ciation would  "not  be  placed  on  a  narrow  footing 
but  made  broad  and  liberal  so  that  all  may  feel  at 
home  in  it."  That  the  Captain's  plans  carried  is 
evident  from  the  fact  that  he  served  as  president 
of  the  society. 

Captain  Reynolds  Moreton  was  a  broad  church- 
man, and  some  said  that  on  account  of  his  natural 
enthusiasm  and  excess  of  zeal  he  was  more  of  a 
preacher  than  a  business  man.  It  is  interesting 
to  add  that  he  had  assisted  bloody  and  Sankey  in 
London,  had  charge  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Sioux  City  during  the  regular  pastor's  illness 


ENGLISH  CHURCH  LIFE  243 

for  nine  months,  and  later  spent  several  weeks  in 
revival  meetings  at  Fort  Dodge."''" 

Reports  of  the  diocese  of  Iowa  show  a  gradual 
decline  in  the  condition  of  religious  activities 
among  the  English  settlers  of  northwestern  Iowa. 
In  1887  St.  George's  Church  at  Le  Mars  consisted 
of  sixty-three  families  of  two  hundred  and  seven 
persons  of  whom  eighty-nine  were  communicants ; 
at  Akron  six  families  of  twenty-one  persons  and 
at  Calliope  in  Sioux  County  one  family  of  eight 
persons  were  cared  for  by  a  missionary,  Rev. 
Arthur  Everard  Marsh.^^^  Unorganized  missions 
at  Kingsley  and  Hawarden  made  no  report,  while 
those  of  Sibley  and  Spirit  Lake  ministered  to 
eleven  and  twelve  families  of  fifty-six  and  forty 
individuals,  respectively.  Organized  missions  had 
been  established  at  Larchwood,  Cherokee,  Sheldon, 
and  Spencer.  From  1882  to  1890  Episcopalians 
of  Sioux  City  were  quite  well  looked  after  by  the 
Rev.  William  Richmond,  a  Dublin  University 
man.'^^  In  1890  the  organized  missions  of  Larch- 
wood,  Spencer,  and  Spirit  Lake  were  vacant  and 
made  no  report,  w^hile  Sheldon  had  only  fourteen 
communicants.  L^norganized  missions  at  Akron 
and  Kingsley  existed  in  name  only.  At  Sibley, 
w^here  services  had  been  regularly  celebrated,  it 
was  reported  that  "the  people  of  the  congregation 
being  English,  the  majority  of  them  have  returned 


244  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

to  their  native  country  to  remairi",  leaving  the 
church  very  small:  all  the  towns  mentioned,  be- 
sides Cherokee  and  Estherville,  reported  only 
eighty-one  Episcopalian  (chiefly  English)  fami- 
lies, while  St.  George's  Church  at  Le  Mars  alone 
claimed  seventy-three  families  of  two  hundred  and 
seven  persons.  In  1893  missions  still  existed  at 
Sheldon,  Sibley,  Spencer,  Spirit  Lake,  Kingsley, 
LarchAvood,  and  Rock  Rapids,  but  they  were  in- 
significant. The  mission  at  Estherville  cared  for 
only  thirty  families,  and  St.  George 's  congregation 
had  dropped  to  fifty-four  families  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy  persons,  comparatively  few  of  whom 
were  English."' 


XXII 

DISAPPEARANCE  OF  THE  BRITISH  FROM 
NORTHWESTERN  IOWA 

Of  the  Britishers  who  were  induced  to  come  to 
the  counties  of  northwestern  Iowa  during  the 
eighties  not  many  can  be  found  living  there  to- 
day. The  farm  life  that  promised  wealth  and 
happiness  to  the  immigrants  ended  in  disappoint- 
ment and  even  failure  for  most  of  the  young  un- 
married men.  Those  who  bought  land  and  de- 
pended on  hired  help  soon  saw  their  farms  leav- 
ing them;  while  others  left  the  country  to  live  in 
town  where  pioneer  conditions  did  not  press  so 
heavily  upon  them. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  British  invasion  of  the 
region  it  was  freely  prophesied  that  stock  farming 
would  bring  especially  big  returns  because  of  free 
pasturage  on  the  prairies:  cattle  and  sheep  could 
range  everywhere  on  excellent  grazing  land  with- 
out let  or  hindrance.  Stock  farmers  were,  how- 
ever, warned  that  this  condition  was  precarious 
since  it  was  evident  that  wdthin  ten  years  there 
would  not  be  much  good  free  range  country  left 
east  of  the  Missouri  River.    In  the  event  of  immi- 


245 


2A6  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

gration  cutting  off  free  pasture,  stock  men  were 
told  that  they  could  either  sell  their  farms  at  prob- 
ably four  or  five  times  the  original  cost,  exclusive 
of  improvements,  and  move  to  Dakota  or  Mon- 
tana, or  else  they  could  turn  their  attention  to 
fattening  stock  on  grain."* 

Some  of  the  Britishers  made  money  by  the  in- 
crease in  the  price  of  their  lands ;  but  none  of  them 
went  farther  west  to  continue  stock  raising.  A 
goodly  number  with  characteristic  bulldog  tenacity 
stuck  to  their  farms  and  made  a  reasonable  profit 
on  their  industry,  many  of  them  in  time  becoming- 
naturalized  American  citizens.  Those  who  bought 
no  lands  quickly  dissipated  their  money  and  with- 
in a  short  time  wandered  out  of  the  State,  some 
eventually  going  back  to  the  mother  country. 

Many  of  the  inmiigrants  after  a  period  of  resi- 
dence in  the  West  suffered  so  intensely  from  home- 
sickness or  other  causes  that  they  left  for  the  old 
home  never  to  return.  R.  Smyth  and  W.  Grouse 
were  'thoroughly  disgusted  with  the  beautiful 
west  and  the  'Eden  of  Iowa',  and  vowed  they 
would  hereafter  give  America  a  wide  berth. *' 
Captain  J.  D.  Aubertin  returned  to  Liverpool,  and 
Will  Young  had  ''had  enough  of  the  wild  western 
land  where  the  playful  cyclone  rages,  and  con- 
cluded to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  the 
highlands   of   Scotland."    Arthur   Gee   and   his 


DISAPPEARANCE  OF  THE  BRITISH  247 

family,  after  giving  Iowa  two  trials,  also  took  per- 
manent leave. 

Mrs.  A.  F.  Sugden  and  her  brother  returned 
home  after  selling  their  entire  outfit  —  horses, 
cattle,  implements,  and  imported  English  house- 
hold goods.  When  H.  B.  Southworth  joined  the 
exodus,  an  American  friend  suggested  sending  him 
a  letter  of  condolence  on  Christmas  morning  and 
added:  ^'How  crowded  and  tame  that  coimtry 
must  feel  to  a  man  who  has  roamed  over  our 
boundless  prairie,  and  been  touched  by  its  wild 
untamable  spirit ! ' ' 

Of  the  three  hundred  who  joined  the  Prairie 
Club  during  its  first  decade  only  a  few  are  left  in 
Iowa  to  tell  about  those  early  days:  they  reside 
chiefly  at  Le  Mars  and  Sioux  City.  In  the  former 
town  are  G.  A.  C.  Clarke,  Adair  G.  Colpoys,  F. 
K.  Veal,  R.  M.  Latham,  and  the  four  Nicholson 
brothers.  At  Sioux  City  dwell  A.  Y.  Weir,  Henry 
H.  Drake,  T.  H.  Dealtry,  Percy  E.  Prescott,  E. 
A.  Fullbrook,  and  George  E.  Ward  who  was  a 
member  of  the  State  House  of  Representatives 
from  1908  to  1910;  Francis  P.  Baker  remains  at 
Akron ;  and  H.  C.  Christian  and  Randolph  Pajme 
at  Kingsley.  Other  members  of  the  Close  colony 
are  Will  Paulton  of  Sioux  Falls,  South  Dakota; 
A.  C.  CoUedge  and  Henry  Moreton,  of  Minnea- 
polis, Minnesota;  Herbert  Cope  of  Medicine  Hat, 


248  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Alberta,  Canada ;  M.  J.  Chapman  of  Pullman  and 
A.  R.  T.  Dent  of  Seattle,  Washington;  Will  Far- 
quhar  of  Joliet,  Illinois;  and  Mowbray  Farquhar 
of  the  Canadian  Mounted  Police. 

Many  lie  buried  in  various  parts  of  the  United 
States :  Tom  Dowglass  at  Cherokee,  J.  H.  Preston 
at  Sioux  City,  Jack  Watson  at  Chicago,  Percy 
Atkinson  at  Hawarden,  and  Fred  Statter  in  Cali- 
fornia. F.  E.  Romanes  died  in  Germany;  Jack 
Wakefield  in  Australia;  and  J.  H.  Grayson,  Fred 
Paley,  F.  R.  Price,  A.  Ronaldson,  Con  Benson, 
Harry  Eller,  and  G.  C.  Maclagan  went  to  their 
graves  in  the  British  Isles. 

A  considerable  number  are  reported  as  still 
living  in  the  British  Isles :  W.  Roylance  Court,  H. 
Rickards,  Frank  Cobden,  A.  W.  Maitland,  E.  F. 
Robertson,  G.  Gamett,  Albert  Farquhar,  H.  Hill- 
yard,  Walter  A.  Paulton,  Cecil  Benson,  and  one 
of  the  Margesson  boys  who  married  Lord  Hobart's 
sister.  The  father  of  the  colony,  William  Brooks 
Close,  has  lived  in  England  in  recent  years.  One 
became  a  tramp  and  another  a  stevedore,  while  a 
third,  after  several  months  of  high  living  so  long 
as  his  credit  was  good,  dropped  out  of  sight,  re- 
turned one  day  many  years  later  and  after  paying 
his  debts  with  interest  disappeared  as  suddenly 
as  he  had  come.  Ronald  Jervis  has  emerged  as 
Earl  St.  Vincent;  Lord  Hobart  is  now  the  Earl 


DISAPPEARANCE  OP  THE  BRITISH  249 

of  Buckinghamshire;  and  Almeric  Paget,  who 
married  a  sister  of  Harry  Payne  Whitney  of  New 
York  and  served  as  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Commons  for  Cambridge  University  until  a  few 
years  ago,  is  now  Lord  Queenborough.^*^ 

But  no  matter  where  the  members  of  the  colony 
strayed  —  wherever  and  whenever  a  few  gathered 
to  recall  and  reminisce  about  the  olden  days,  with 
light  hearts  they  w^ere  always  able  to  join  in  the 
colony  song  and  its  refrain: 

THE  COLONY  SONG 


The  ship  was  outward  bound 

And  we  drank  a  health  around : 

'Twas  the  year  of  '81  or  thereabout.  i 

We  were  bound  for  prairie  farms 

Where  like  bees  the  dollars  swarm 

And  our  hearts,  tho'  young  and  green,  were  pretty  stout. 

I  was  two  and  twenty  then  and  like  many  other  men 

Among  that  tough  community  on  board, 

I'd  been  raising  Cain  in  town  and  my  money  being  gone. 

How  to  raise  another  fiver  I  was  floored. 

Chorus 

Here's  a  health  to  all  the  boys 

Who  are  out  of  this  world's  joys 

And  have  to  earn  their  living  by  hard  toil, 

But  let  us  hope  that  ere  they  rust. 

They  may  pile  up  lots  of  dust 

And  live  again  upon  their  native  soil. 


250  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 


In  our  exams  all  plucked  and  out  of  England  chucked, 

Out  of  patience  were  our  friends  and  most  unkind ; 

And  they  told  us  pretty  plain  that  ere  they'd  see  us  home 

again, 
Our  fortunes  o'er  the  seas  we'd  have  to  find. 
So  we  liquored  up  and  laughed  day  and  night  aboard  that 

craft 
Until  we  parted  at  New  York  and  went  ashore. 
And  from  then  until  this  time 
We  have  never  made  a  dime 
But  hope  there  are  better  times  in  store. 


For  if  salt  pork  and  green  tea  are  choicest  blessings  we 
Are  certainly  above  all  measure  blessed; 
But  we've  been  so  long  in  need 
That  we're  one  and  all  agreed 
'  We  can  very  well  dispense  with  all  the  rest. 
But  as  each  man  tells  his  tale 
'Tis  monotonous  and  stale : 
We  found  there  was  no  money  on  a  farm 
And  every  honest  chum  to  the  same  low  ebb  has  come, 
But  being  **bust"  don't  do  him  any  harm. 


How  one  in  Iowa  went  ploughing  all  the  day, 

One  in  Tennessee  pioneered  and  died. 

One  sold  papers  on  the  cars  or  cocktails  at  a  bar 

Or  in  prairie  stores  forgot  old  country  pride. 

And  one  unlucky  swain  thought  he'd  just  go  home  again 

But  was  received  with  cold  shoulders  by  his  friends. 

One  sucker  dug  a  hole  in  the  hopes  of  finding  coal 

And  one  peddled  soap  and  odds  and  ends. 


DISAPPEARANCE  OF  THE  BRITISH  251 


How  one  went  pitching  hay  for  fifty  cents  a  day 

And  one  in  a  shanty  kept  a  school; 

North  and  South  and  East  and  West  we  have  done  our 

level  best 
But  failed  to  make  the  dollars  as  a  rule. 
And  some  they  took  to  drink  and  some  to  slinging  ink 
And  shepherded  or  cattle  drove  awhile, 
But  never  that  I  know  so  far  as  stories  go 
Did  one  of  us  e'er  make  his  pile. 

6 

Well,  'tis  better  here  than  there : 

Since  rags  must  be  our  wear 

On  the  prairie  all  are  equal  every  man 

And  we're  all  of  us  agreed 

That  a  gentleman  in  need 

Must  earn  his  daily  living  as  he  can.^^* 

It  is  manifestly  impossible  to  trace  the  course 
of  life  of  all  the  several  hmidred.  Britishers  who 
at  one  time  or  another  sojourned  in  northwestern 
Iowa.  Whether  numbered  among  the  living  or 
the  dead,  they  are  scattered  far  and  wide.  The 
Close  colony  which  began  with  scores  of  Britishers 
in  possession  of  prairie  farms  for  miles  in  all 
directions  from  Le  Mars  proved  to  be  short-lived : 
the  lands  which  they  owned  gradually  passed  into 
the  hands  of  other  people,  including  many  natives 
of  the  British  Isles  of  a  somewhat  different  type. 
It  can  hardly  be  maintained  that  they  left  much 


252  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

of  a  permanent  impress  on  the  community  in 
which  they  lived  —  at  least  not  in  the  same  way 
as  did  their  neighbors  to  the  north,  the  Hollanders 
of  Maurice  and  Orange  City  and  Sioux  Center  and 
many  other  towns.  The  Dutch  who  began  to  settle 
there  in  1869  and  1870  have  never  let  go  of  their 
holdings;  thousands  of  immigrants  have  joined 
them  in  the  half  century  past ;  and  they  and  their 
descendants,  probably  thirty  thousand  strong  in 
1922,  have  made  the  region  famous  for  its  excel- 
lence in  agriculture.^" 

A  survey  of  the  population  figures  for  the  Iowa 
counties  into  which  the  Close  brothers  helped 
bring  the  hum  of  life  shows  that  the  British-bom 
residents  were  at  one  time  a  considerable  ele- 
ment.^"* That  they  and  thousands  of  other  British 
immigrants  were  wanted  and  expected  to  come  in 
increasing  numbers  —  of  this  fact  future  genera- 
tions of  Americans  will  always  be  reminded  when 
they  glance  at  the  map  and  see  the  names  of 
British  origin,  many  of  which  were  designed 
to  attract  emigration  from  abroad:  Plymouth 
County  and  O'Brien  County,  the  villages  of  Quom 
and  Archer,  and  the  towns  of  Sutherland,  Gran- 
ville (once  Grenville),  Alton,  Ireton,  Hawarden, 
and  across  the  river  in  South  Dakota  the  towns 
of  Alcester  and  Beresford."" 


NOTES  AND  KEFERENCES 
PART  I 

CHAPTER  I 

^  Historical  and  Comparative  Census  of  Iowa,  1836-1880, 

pp.  XV,  XVI. 

^  This  book  of  252  pages,  with  an  interesting  map,  was 
entitled  Sketches  of  loiva,  or  the  Emigrant's  Guide.  It  was 
published  by  J.  H.  Colton,  who  during  those  years  issued 
many  such  guides  describing  the  West. 

^Newhall's  The  British  Emigrants'  ''Hand  Book,"  p. 


Vlll. 


*  Extracts  from  the  English  press  relating  to  his  lectures 
can  be  found  in  Newhall's  The  British  Emigrants'  "Haiul 
Book,"  p.  iv.  This  guide  to  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and  Iowa 
contains  100  pages. 

'Newhall's  The  British  Emigrants'  "Hand  Book,"  pp. 
V,  vii-x. 

^Newhall's  The  British  Emigrants'  "Hand  Book,"  pp. 
62,  63. 

^Newhall's  The  British  Emigrants'  "Hand  Book,"  pp. 
74,  75. 

*  Newhall's  The  British  Emigrants'  "Hand  Book,"  pp. 
74-78. 

®For  a  list  of  these  books  see  Mann's  The  Emigrant's 
Complete  Guide  to  the  United  States  of  America,  pp.  71,  72. 


253 


254  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

^"Mann's  TJi^  Emigrant's  Complete  Guide  to  the  United 
States  of  America,  pp.  iii,  iv,  v,  5,  6. 

^^  Mann's  The  Emigrant* s  Complete  Guide  to  the  United 
States  of  America,  p.  iii. 

^*  Mann's  The  Emigrant's  Complete  Guide  to  the  United 
States  of  America,  p.  iv. 

*^  Mann's  The  Emigrant's  Complete  Guide  to  the  United 
States  of  America,  pp.  iv,  v. 

^*  Mann's  The  Emigrant's  Complete  Guide  to  the  United 
States  of  America,  pp.  3,  7. 

^'Mann's  The  Emigrant's  Complete  Guide  to  the  United 
States  of  America,  p.  38. 

^*  Mann's  The  Emigrant's  Complete  Guide  to  the  United 
States  of  America,  pp.  39,  68. 

^^  Wolfe's  History  of  Clinton  County,  Iowa,  Vol.  I,  pp. 
55-58,  281,  282. 

^^  History  of  Clinton  County,  Iowa  (Western  Historical 
Company,  1879),  pp.  636,  642;  Wolfe's  History  of  Clinton 
County,  Iowa,  Vol.  I,  p.  302. 

^^ Iowa  State  Register  (Weekly,  Des  Moines),  November 
16,  1870. 

CHAPTEE  II 

^"Newhall  issued  a  third  volume,  A  Glimpse  of  Iowa  in 
1846;  or,  the  Emigrant's  Guide,  a  book  of  106  pages.  His 
favorite  title  page  inscription  was  a  statement  of  Coleridge: 
"The  possible  destiny  of  the  United  States  of  America,  as  a 
nation  of  a  hundred  millions  of  freemen,  stretching  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  living  under  the  laws  of  Alfred,  and 
speaking  the  language   of   Shakespeare   and   Milton,   is  an 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  255 

august   conception.      Why    should    we    not    wish   to   see   it 
realized  ? ' ' 

Colton's  The  Emigrant's  Hand-Book  (1848)  contains  some 
information  on  Iowa.  On  pages  116-123  appears  an  address 
of  the  Irish  Emigrant  Society  of  New  York  to  the  people 
of  Ireland. 

2^  Historical  and  Comparative  Census  of  Iowa,  1836-1880, 
pp.  168,  169. 

"Northern  Iowa.  By  a  Pioneer,  Containing  Valuahle 
Information  for  Emigrants.     (40  pages). 

^^  See  Marcus  L.  Hansen 's  article,  Official  Encouragement 
of  Immigration  to  Iowa  in  The  Iowa  Journal  of  History  and 
Politics,  Vol.  XIX,  pp.  165-167. 

^*  Iowa:  The  Home  for  Immigrants,  being  a  Treatise  on 
the  Resources  of  Iowa,  and  Giving  Useful  Information  with 
Regard  to  the  State,  for  the  Benefit  of  Immigrants  and 
Others. 

^^  For  these  facts  see  Iowa  Legislative  Documents,  1872, 
Document  No.  27,  pp.  3-9. 

'^^ Iowa  State  Register  (AVeekly,  Des  Moines),  July  13, 
1870. 

^^  Mr.  Edginton's  work  is  reported  in  the  Iowa  Legislative 
Documents,  1872,  Document  No.  27,  pp.  22,  23. 

^^  In  the  Christian  World  of  London  appeared  an  article 
by  Christopher  Craj^on  on  Iowa  as  a  Field  for  Emigration. 
This  account  is  reprinted  in  the  Iowa  State  Register  (Weekly, 
Des  Moines),  February  1,  1871. 

^®  This  arrangement  between  the  State  and  certain  rail- 
road companies  is  referred  to  in  the  loiva  Legislative  Docu- 


256  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

ments,  1872,  Document  No.  27,  p.  7,   and  the  Iowa  State 
Register  (Weekly,  Des  Moines),  May  25,  1870. 

^"Reported  in  the  lo^va  State  Register  (Weekly,  Des 
Moines),  May  15,  1872. 

'^  Shambaugh  's  Messages  and  Proclamations  of  the  Gov- 
ernors of  Iowa,  Vol.  V,  p.  84. 

American  consuls  in  England  must  have  heard  of  the 
plans  of  the  Close  brothers  of  Manchester  to  establish  a 
community  of  Britishers  in  northwestern  Iowa. 

'*  The  Iowa  Journal  of  History  and  Politics,  Vol.  XIX, 
pp.  188-190. 

^'  The  Manchester  Guardian,  quoted  in  the  Iowa  State 
Register  (Weekly,  Des  Moines),  February  11,  1881. 

^*  Iowa  Legislative  Documents,  1886,  Vol.  V,  Report  of 
H.  S.  Fairall,  Commissioner,  p.  3. 

"'See,  for  example,  the  Iowa  Railroad  Land  Company's 
Choice  of  Iowa  Farming  Lands,  1870,  and  the  Sioux  City 
and  St.  Paul  Railroad  Company's  Farms  and  Homes  in  the 
Near  West  Located  in  Northern  Iowa  and  Southern  Minne- 
sota. The  land  commissioner  of  the  latter  company  seems 
to  have  had  an  office  at  57  Charing  Cross,  London,  S.  W. 

CHAPTER  in 

"  Historical  and  Comparative  Census  of  Iowa,  1836-1880, 
pp.  168,  170;  Census  of  Iowa,  1885,  pp.  19,  24,  26,  45,  47, 
63,  65,  68. 

"  Annual  reports  of  the  four  Roman  Catholic  dioceses 
of  Iowa  can  be  found  in  The  Official  Catholic  Directory. 

»» United  States  Census,  1880,  pp.  494,  506-508. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  257 

"  Census  of  Iowa,  1885,  pp.  164-166,  1895,  pp.  305-307, 
1905,  pp.  517-520,  1915,  pp.  465-467. 

"  Censiis  of  Iowa,  1885,  pp.  1-82,  1895,  pp.  331-333. 

*^  United  States  Census,  1880,  pp.  506-508 ;  Census  of 
Iowa,  1885,  pp.  164-166. 

"  Census  of  Iowa,  1895,  pp.  331-333,  1915,  pp.  462-464. 

*^  United  States  Census,  1880,  pp.  506-508 ;  Census  of 
Iowa,  1885,  pp.  164-166. 

In  1895  Appanoose  County  had  374  Scotch  and  in  1915, 
233,  while  Monroe  and  Woodbury  counties  had  232  and  205, 
respectively,  in  1915. — Census  of  Iowa,  1915,  pp.  465-467. 

**  Census  of  Iowa,  1885,  pp.  1-82,  1895,  pp.  330-333. 

«  United  States  Census,  1880,  pp.  494,  506-508  (the  figures 
include  the  AYelsh)  ;  Census  of  Iowa,  1885,  pp.  164-166,  1895, 
pp.  304-307,  1915,  pp.  462-464. 

"  Census  of  Iowa,  1915,  p.  lv.  The  native-born  Dutch, 
Russians,  Bohemians,  and  Italians  numbered  12,638,  9896, 
9500,  and  6261,  respectively. 

"  The  counties  most  frequently  included  in  the  census 
lists  of  different  years  were  the  ones  with  the  most  populous 
cities  in  Iowa:  Dubuque,  Scott,  Polk,  Pottawattamie,  Linn,- 
and  Woodbury.  Counties  ranking  next  were  Monroe,  Clin- 
ton, Johnson,  Wapello,  Delaware,  Black  Hawk,  Fayette, 
Greene,  and  Jasper.  In  several  of  these  the  Britishers  were 
largely  employed  in  coal  mines. 

PART  II 

CHAPTER  I 

**  Statement  by  William  B.  Close  in  a  letter  from  London, 
November  30,  1921. 


258  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

*°  The  middle  name  of  the  four  brothers  is  that  of  their 
mother.  John,  who  subsequently  became  John  Brooks  Close- 
Brooks  on  being  made  a  partner  in  his  uncle's  bank  in  Man- 
chester, was  born  on  June  9,  1850 ;  James,  on  July  30,  1851 ; 
William,  on  May  6,  1853;  and  Frederick,  on  December  7, 
1854.  Frederick  B.  Close  began  farming  in  Virginia  in  the 
year  1872.  See  Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa, 
p.  2. 

®°  In  his  letter  of  November  30,  1921,  Mr.  Close  appends 
the  following  observation: 

"I  go  into  these  details  because  they  all  lead  up  to  the 
reason  why  we  settled  in  Western  Iowa,  and  here  we  may 
pause  to  note  how  very  little  events  turn  the  trend  of  one's 
life  into  a  career  that  otherwise  would  not  have  been  followed. 
For  if  a  man  at  Birmingham  had  not  made  a  faulty  screw, 
and  if  the  builder  of  our  racing  shell  at  Newcastle-on-Tyne 
had  not  happened  to  put  this  faulty  screw  into  the  bars 
supporting  my  slide,  I  should  never  have  had  the  bruise;  I 
should  have  gone  out  with  the  boys  at  Cape  May  on  the 
training  walk;  I  should  never  have  met  Mr.  Daniel  Paullin, 
who  well  advised  me  as  to  my  business  career;  and  I  should 
never  have  married  his  daughter!" 

See  also  Poultney  Bigelow's  version  of  the  story  in 
Harper's  New  Monthly  Magazine,  Vol.  LXII,  p.  764;  and 
Mr.  Close's  reference  to  the  advice  of  his  fiancee's  father  in 
Land  and  Water  (English  periodical)   for  November,  1879. 

In  a  letter  from  London,  February  14,  1922,  Mr.  William 
B.  Close  wrote  the  following  about  Mr.  Paullin: 

"Mr.  Daniel  Paullin  was  not  an  Englishman  by  birth  or 
descent.  I  believe  he  was  descended  from  the  De  Paullins  — 
Huguenots,  who  escaped  from  France.  His  ancestors  on 
both  sides  had  long  been  settled  in  England.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Turner,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in 
Illinois  and  the  first  to  adopt  the  present  system  of  schools 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  259 

now  found  throughout  the  West.     Books  have  been  written 
about  him." 

"Letter  of  Wm.  B.  Close,  November  30,  1921;  Close's 
Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  16. 

^^  Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  17. 

^^  Land  and  Water,  November,  1879,  quoted  in  Close's 
Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  15. 

CHAPTER  n 

^*  Close 's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  12,  con- 
tains a  picture  and  floor  plan  of  one  of  these  pioneer  houses. 

^^  Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  6. 

'®  William  Dalrymple,  who  with  a  brother  afterwards 
operated  this  farm,  writes  from  Minneapolis  that  his  father 
in  1875  purchased  for  himself  and  partners  about  40,000 
acres  in  Cass  and  Trail  counties,  North  Dakota.  Of  this 
Red  River  Valley  land  they  farmed  as  much  as  30,000  acres. 

^^  Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  16. 

^^ MacmUlan's  Magazine  (London),  Vol.  XLIV,  p.  68. 

'^Close's  Fanning  in  North-Western  Iowa,  pp.  16,  17. 

CHAPTER  ni 

""St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press,  July  31,  1881,  quoted  in  The 
Lemars  Sentinel,  August  4,  1881. 

"  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  December  12,  1878.      , 

«2  Letter  of  Wm.  B.  Close,  November  30,  1921. 

®^  John  Brooks  Close  was  reported  as  visiting  his  brothers 
at  Le  Mars  in  the  spring  of  1881.     He  accompanied  Mr. 


6172 

14,996 

2199 

8566 

1967 

8240 

715 

4155 

576 

5426 

2219 

221 

1968 

260  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Sykes  of  Manchester  who  had  come  to  look  at  his  lands  in 
Lyon  County.  —  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  May  5,  1881. 

^* MacviUlan's  Magazine  (London),  Vol.  XLIV,  pp.  65,  66. 

'''The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  July  9,  16,  1879. 

CHAPTER  IV 

*^  Figures  on  the  settlement  of  northwestern  Iowa  counties 
taken  from  the  United  States  Census,  1880,  pp.  59,  60 : 
CJOUNTT  1850        I860        1870         1880 

■Woodbury  County  1119 

Plymouth  County  148 

Cheeokee  County  68 

O'Brien  County  8 

Sioux  County  10 

Osceola  County 

Lyon  County 

In  1880  Sioux  City  had  grown  from  1030  (in  1867)  to 
7366;  Le  Mars,  from  152  (in  1870)  to  1895;  and  Cherokee 
from  438  (in  1870)  to  1523.  —  Iowa  Historical  and  Com- 
parative Census,  1836-1880,  pp.  453,  560,  606. 

"  Close  *s  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  14. 

•*  Close 's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  14.  See 
also  Report  of  the  Land  Commissioner  of  the  Iowa  Railroad 
Land  Company,  1874,  p.  4. 

^^  Macmillan's  Magazine,  Vol.  XLIV,  pp.  65,  66.  Mr. 
Close  also  refers  to  the  economic  condition  of  England  in 
1879  in  his  letter  of  November  30,  1921. 

^"Many  of  these  letters  were  afterwards  collected  and 
republished  in  Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  pp. 
15-24. 

^^  This  article  in  The  London  Times  appeared  in  The 
Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  December  3,  1879. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  261 

CHAPTEE  V 

'^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  April  14,  1881. 

^^The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  December  3,  1879. 

'*  Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  28. 

^'  Close 's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  2. 

^'Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  1. 

^^  The  Lemurs  Sentinel,  September  29,  1881,  quoting  an 
article  on  "Iowa's  IMillionnaires"  in  The  Dubuque  Telegraph. 

^*  Close 's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  pp.  2,  27. 

'^  Close 's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  28. 

*°  Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  pp.  2,  3. 

*^  Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  4. 

*^  Close 's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  28. 

CHAPTER  VI 

^^  Close 's  Farming  in  North-Western,  Iowa,  pp.  4,  7-9, 
10,  13. 

^*  Macmillan's  Magazine,  Vol.  XLIV,  p.  66. 

^^  Close 's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p,  8. 

*"  Close 's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  pp.  10,  11,  13. 

"  Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  pp.  6,  7. 

^^  MacmUlan's  Magazine,  Vol.  XLIV,  p.  63. 

*^  Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  14. 

The  Women's  Emigration  Society  was  founded  in  1880 
to  give  information  and  loans  for  the  emigration  of  capable, 
educated  women  to  the  colonies.     This  society  seems  also  to 


262  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

have  had  a  branch  in  Iowa.  —  Macmillan's  Magazine,  Vol. 
XLV,  p.  315. 

®°  Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  pp.  29-31. 

CHAPTER  Vn 

"On  pages  31  and  32  of  Close's  Farming  in  North- 
Western  Iowa  are  given  the  following  names  of  gentlemen 
in  northwestern  Iowa  who  could  be  communicated  with  in 
regard  to  the  country  by  addressing  them  at  Le  Mars,  Ply- 
mouth Co.,  Iowa: 

W.  Hyndman  Wann,  Esq.,  of  Belfast,  Ireland 

H.  W.  Thompson,  Esq.,  of  Belfast,  Ireland 

E.  6.  Maxtone  Graham,  Esq.,  of  Battleby,  Bed  Gorton,  Perth- 
shire, N.  B. 

W.  EOYLANCE  Court,  Jun.,  Esq.,  of  Newton  Manor,  Middlewich, 

Cheshire 
W.  H.  Statter,  Esq.,  of  Whitefield,  Manchester 
Gerald  Garnett,  Esq.,  of  Wyreside,  Lancaster 
H.  EicKARDS,  Esq.,  Carleton  Lodge,  Whalley  Range,  Manchester 
David  B.  M'Laren,  Esq.,  Manchester 
H.  Grey  de  Pi.edge,  Esq.,  Gloucester 
Harry  Eller,  Esq.,  Manchester 
J.  Eller,  Esq.,  Manchester 

Alfred  Shaw,  Esq.,  of  Arrowe  Park,  Birkenhead 
Philip  Nairn,  Esq.,  of  Lime  House,  Wetheral,  Carlisle 
J.  H.  Grayson,  Esq.,  of  Oakfield,  Prince's  Road,  Liverpool 
Edward  T.  Wright,  Esq.,  Rochester 

F.  HORSBURGH,  Esq.,  Edinburgh 

Percy  Heitland,  Esq.,  The  Priory,  Shrewsbury 

George  Smith,  Esq.,  Wymondham,  Norfolk 

H.  Carter,  Esq.,  Yorkshire 

W.  Sharp,  Esq.,  Whalley  Range,  Manchester 

Cecil  F.  Benson,  Esq.,  Langtons,  Alresford,  Hants 

W.  White  Marsh,  Esq.,  of  Wethersfield,  Braintree,  Essex 

John  Wakefieij),  Esq.,  Sedgewick,  Kendal 

W.  Gaskell,  Esq.,  Kiddington  Hall,  Woodstock,  Oxon 

Percy  E.  Prescott,  Esq.,  The  Abbey,  Carlisle 

B.  Dempsey,  Esq.,  St.  George's  Mount,  New  Brighton 

A.  E.  Marsh,  Esq.,  Tuxford,  Newark 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  263 

James  H.  Smyth,  Esq.,  Clareraont,  The  Park,  Birkenhead 
W,  S.  Smyth,  Esq.,  Claremont,  The  Park,  Birkenhead 
Hugh  C.  P.  Chiene,  Esq.,  Eastburn,  Helensburgh 
Harry  Hill  yard,  Esq.,  Abbey  Square,  Chester 
Armigel  W.  Wade,  Esq.,  Dunmow,  Essex 

^'^  The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  November  5,  1879. 

''^The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  November  19,  1879. 

^*  The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  December  3,  1879,  Jan- 
uary 21,  March  24,  and  April  28,  1880. 

^""The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  February  18,  1880. 

^®  The  St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press,  quoted  in  The  Iowa  Liberal 
(Le  Mars),  March  31,  1880,  February  2,  1881. 

°^  The  Rural  New  Yorker,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sentinel, 
July  14,  1881. 

^®  The  two  firms  at  this  time  were  Close  Brothers  and 
Company  and  the  Iowa  Land  Company,  of  which  the  Closes 
were  managers.  This  distinction  is  not  always  easy  to  follow 
in  the  newspapers  of  those  years. 

«» The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  2,  1882. 

CHAPTER  VIII 
"■^^The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  March  17,  April  14,  1880. 

^°^  Close  Brothers  and  Company  still  have  an  office  in 
Chicago,  although  the  original  members  have  no  more  con- 
nection with  it. 

^®^  The  Dubuque  Telegraph  article  is  given  in  full  in  The 
Leniars  Sentinel,  September  29,  1881. 

"T/ie  St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press,  July  31,  1881,  quoted  in 
The  Lemars  Sentinel,  August  4,  1881. 


264  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

^°*  History  of  Woodbury  and  Plymouth  Counties,  pp.  435, 
500,  509. 

"'  The  Chicago  Inter-Ocean,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sen- 
tinel, January  20,  27,  March  3,  1881. 

^°'^  Macmillan's  Magazine,  Vol.  XLIV,  p.  68.    Mr.  Close's 
statement  on  the  rise  in  the  value  of  their  lands  early  in 
1881  was  as  follows: 
Land  that  we  bought  in 

Virgin  Land 

1877  in  Crawford  County  for  $2.75  to  $3.25 

1878  in  Woodbury  and   Plymouth  $2.25  to  $3.50 

1879  in  "  "  "  $3        to  $4 

1880  in  Plymouth  and  Sioux  $4       to  $6 
is  now  worth 

Virgin  Land  Improved  Land 
$10  to  $15  $15  to  $25 

$  7  to  $10  $15  to  $20 

$  6  to  $10  $12  to  $15 

$  6  to  $10  $12  to  $15 

^"  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  May  5,  1881.  According  to  J.  W. 
Probert  of  the  present  firm  of  Close  Brothers  and  Company, 
the  Closes  never  served  as  agents  for  railroad  companies,  but 
simply  bought  all  the  unsold  land  of  the  Sioux  City  and 
St.  Paul  in  Iowa,  English  capital  being  plentiful  enough  to 
enable  them  to  make  the  deal.  This  seems  to  square  with 
the  report  of  their  contract  with  the  land  department  of 
that  railway  in  the  summer  of  1880. 

"*  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  24,  1881.  A  letter  by 
Mr.  Benson  to  the  Manchester  Courier,  January  20,  1881, 
appears  in  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  March  3,  1881. 

"» The  Lemars  Sentinel,  May  5,  12,  26,  1881. 

^^°  Cedar  Falls  Gazette,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sentinel, 
June  9,  1881. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  265 

^"  The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  June  1,  1881;  The  L&mars 
Sentinel,  May  26,  June  2,  1881. 

^"A  famous  correspondent  of  The  London  Times,  ''Bull 
Run"  Russell,  accompanied  the  duke's  party  and  afterwards 
published  a  book  of  his  travels  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada  in  1881.  Quoting  from  his  account  of  the  visit  to 
northwestern  Iowa,  the  Davenport  Gazette  declared: 

"The  figures  shown  by  Messrs.  Close  show  good  results; 
they  are  quite  willing  to  welcome  any  gentleman  desirous  to 
try  his  fortune  out  West  as  a  tenant,  on  conditions  which 
they  will  communicate  —  the  general  principle  being  that 
the  tenant  and  land  owner  should  be  in  partnership,  the  re- 
turns of  the  occupant's  farming  to  be  divided  in  certain  pro- 
portions between  him  and  the  owners,  until  the  former  be- 
comes absolute  proprietor  of  the  place.  They  heard  of  per- 
sons coming  from  districts  in  Ireland,  Scotland  or  England, 
who  had  associated  together  for  mutual  help  and  support." 
—  The  Leniars  Sentinel,  March  30,  1882. 

^"  The  Lernars  Sentinel,  August  4,  1881. 

^^*  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  June  2,  1881.  The  Duke's  money, 
no  doubt,  was  all  in  the  Iowa  Land  Company. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  Sutherland  in  0  'Brien  County 
was  named  after  the  Duke  who,  about  the  time  the  town  site 
was  located,  was  a  guest  of  the  officials  of  the  railroad  com- 
pany. They  were  sufficiently  in  love  with  His  Royal  High- 
ness to  name  their  town  site  after  him.  —  Perkins's  History 
of  O'Brien  County,  Iowa,  p.  367. 

^^^  The  titles  to  land  in  this  region  were  for  a  long  time 
the  subject  of  litigation  in  the  courts.  According  to  Mr.  J. 
W.  Probert  of  Chicago,  the  Iowa  Land  Company  bought  all 
the  land  finally  awarded  to  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St. 
Paul  in  O'Brien  County.  See  also  Perkins's  History  of 
O'Brien  County,  Iowa,  p.  259. 


266  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

*^'  The  St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sen- 
tinel, August  4,  1881. 

^"  The  St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sen- 
tinel, June  2,  1881. 

"« The  Lemars  Sentinel,  July  28,  1881. 

"» The  Lemars  Sentinel,  July  14,  1881. 

^^°  The  Sibley  Gazette,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sentinel, 
July  28,  1881. 

"^  The  Dubuque  Telegraph,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sen- 
tinel, September  29,  1881.  The  Closes  were  said  to  have 
500,000  acres  for  sale. 

"^  The  Sioux  City  Journal,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sentinel, 
March  9,  1882. 

"'  The  Worthington  Advance,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sen- 
tinel, August  11,  1881. 

^^*  TJie  Fargo  and  Moorekead  Daily  Argus,  August  25, 
1881,  quoted  in  The  Lemurs  Sentinel,  September  1,  1881. 

^^^  The  Worthington  Advance,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sen- 
tinel, December  29,  1881. 

"« The  Lemars  Sentinel,  May  31,  1883. 

^"  The  St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sen- 
tinel, April  13,  1882. 

CHAPTER  IX 

^^*  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  July  13,  1882.  For  an  account 
of  this  prohibitory  amendment  see  Clark's  The  History  of 
Liquor  Legislation  in  Iowa  in  The  Iowa  Journal  of  History 
and  Politics,  Vol.  VI,  pp.  508-533. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  267 

"»  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  August  3,  1882. 

^^°  Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  2. 

CHAPTEB  X 

^^^  The  ease  of  Koehler  and  Lange  v.  Hill,  60  Iowa  543-704. 

"2  The  Le  Mars  Daily  Liberal,  August  24,  1882. 

^^^  The  Minneapolis  Tribune,  quoted  in  The  Evening  Sen- 
tinel (Le  Mars),  March  8,  1883. 

^^*The  Evening  Sentinel  (Le  Mars),  June  29,  1883. 

^^'  The  Pipestone  Star,  quoted  in  The  Evening  Sentinel 
(Le  Mars),  July  12,  August  16,  1883. 

"«jr?ie  Evening  Sentinel  (Le  Mars),  October  31,  1883, 
February  19,  1884. 

^"  These  facts  were  obtained  from  Mr.  J.  W.  Probert,  the 
present  manager  of  Close  Brothers  and  Company  with  offices 
in  the  Conway  Building  at  Chicago,  farm  loans  being  its 
chief  business. 

"8  The  Le  Mars  Daily  Sentinel,  February  3,  1885. 
Samuel  Houghton  Graves,  another  Cambridge  University 
man,  joined  the  firm  at  Chicago  in  1885. 

"^  The  Le  Mars  DaUy  Sentinel  for  February  3  and  March 
17,  1885,  shows  that  the  Closes  were  still  doing  business  in 
Iowa. 

^*°  Peck,  Montzheimer,  and  Miller's  Past  and  Present  of 
O'Brien  and  Osceola  Counties,  Iowa,  p.  673. 

"^  Peck,  Montzheimer,  and  Miller's  Past  and  Present  of 
O'Brien  and  Osceola  Counties,  Iowa,  p.  674. 
Mr.  J.  W.  Probert  of  Chicago  declares  that  he  knew  hun- 


268  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

dreds  of  the  Iowa  Land  Company's  tenants  and  regarded 
them  as  a  fine  class  of  Iowa  and  Illinois  farmers. 

^*'  The  St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press,  quoted  in  The  Le  Mars 
Daily  Sentinel,  May  14,  1884. 

The  aliens  named  here,  except  Mr.  Sykes  who  had  land  in 
Lyon  County,  must  have  owned  Minnesota  land.  The  owners 
last  referred  to  may  include  the  Englishmen  who  had  farms 
in  northwestern  Iowa.  In  any  event,  all  these  lands  were 
probably  being  offered  for  sale  by  the  Close  brothers. 

^*^  Congressional  Record,  48th  Congress,  1st  Session,  pp. 

2359,  4794.     Members  of  Congress  were  given  no  authority 
for  the  following  list: 

Purchaser  Amount 

English  syndicate  No.  1    (in  Texaa) 4,500,000 

English  syndicate  No.  3    (in  Texaa) 3,000,000 

Sir  Edward  Reid,  K.  C.  B.  (in  Florida) 2,000,000 

English  syndicate,  headed  by  S.  Philpotts 1,800,000 

C.  R.  and  Land  Company,  of  London  Marquis  of  Tweedale  1,750,000 

Phillips,  Marshall  &  Co.,  of  London 1,300,000 

German    syndicate 1,100,000 

Anglo- American  syndicate,  headed  by  Mr.  Bodgers,  London  750,000 

An  English  company  (in  Mississippi) 700,000 

Duke    of    Sutherland 425,000 

British    Land    and    Mortgage    Company 320,000 

Captain   Whalley,   M.   P.,   for   Peterboro,  England    .     .    .  310,000 

Missouri  Land  Company,  Edinburgh,  Scotland 300,000 

Hon.  Robert   Tennant,   of  London 230,000 

Scotch   Land   Company,   Dundee,    Scotland 247,666 

Lord    Dunmore 100,000 

Benjamin   Newgas,    Liverpool,    England 100,000 

Lord  Houghton 60,000 

Lord   Dunraven >  60,000 

English  Land  Company   (in  Florida) 50,000 

English   Land    Company,  represented   by   B.   Newgas     .     .  50,000 

An  English  capitalist    (in  Arkansas) 50,000 

Albert  Peel,  M.  P.,  Leicestershire,  England 10,000 

Sir  John  Lester  Kaye,  Yorkshire,  England 5,000 

George  Grant,  of  London   (in  Kansas) 100,000 


Value  of  land  alone 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  269 

An  English  syndicate  (represented  by  Close  Bros.)  in  Wis- 
consin   [probably    Iowa   and    Minnesota] 110,000 

A  Scotch  company   (in  California) 140,000 

M.  EUerhauser  (of  Nova  Scotia)  in  West  Virginia    .     .     .  600,000 

A   Scotch   syndicate    (in    Florida) 500,000 

A.  Boyesen,  Danish  consul  at  Milwaukee 50,000 

Missouri  Land  and  S.  S.  Co.,  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland     .     .  165,000 

English   syndicate    (in   Florida) 59,000 

Total    acres 20,941,666 

CHAPTER  XI 

^**  This  is  no  empty  boast.  The  United  States  census  for 
1920  reveals  the  fact  that  Iowa  leads  the  nation  as  a  farm- 
ing State,  other  States  taking  second  place  in  the  following 
respects : 

(  Iowa  $8,524,870,956 

Value  of  all  farm  property  j  j^^^.^  6,666,767,235 

Iowa  6,679,020,577 

Illinois  5,250,294,752 

,  Iowa  922,751,713 

Value  of  farm  buildings                   j  ^^^  646,322,950 

,  Iowa  309,172,398 

Value  of  farm  machinery  j  ^^^^.^  222,619,605 

Iowa  613,926,268 

Texas  592,926,006 

With  regard  to  the  value  of  all  farm  property  Sioux 
County  came  first  in  1920,  Pottawattamie  second,  and  Ply- 
mouth third ;  Sioux  leads  also  in  the  value  of  land  and  farm 
buildings,  Pottawattamie  being  second,  Plymouth  third,  and 
Woodbury  fourth. 

Pottawattamie  led  in  the  value  of  live  stock,  Plymouth 
came  second,  and  Sioux  third.  In  regard  to  the  value  of  all 
crops  produced  in  1919,  Sioux  stood  first,  Pottawattamie 
second,  and  Plymouth  third. 

These  counties  are,  of  course,  among  the  largest  in  the 
State.  Furthermore,  by  using  monetary  forms  of  measure- 
ment, especially  in  1920  when  all  values  were  inflated,  it  is 
no  wonder  that  we  find  these  counties  in  Iowa  enormously 


Value  of  live  stock 


270  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

wealthy.  Perhaps  inflation  had  gone  farther  there  than  else- 
where, but  even  so  no  land  in  Iowa  is  more  fertile  than  that 
of  the  northwestern  counties. 

^*'  History  of  the  Counties  of  Woodbury  and  Plymouth, 
Iowa  (A.  Warner  &  Co.,  1890-1891),  pp.  507,  508;  The  Iowa 
Liberal  (Le  Mars),  February  2,  1881. 

^*' The  Monmouth  Inquirer  (New  Jersey),  quoted  in  The 
Lemars  Sentinel,  February  3,  1881. 

"^  The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  February  2,  9,  1881;  The 
Lemars  Sentinel,  May  5,  12,  June  9,  July  14,  1881;  The 
Sibley  Tribune,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  January  12, 
1882. 

^*®  The  Rock  Rapids  Reporter,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sen- 
tinel, January  12,  1882. 

"»  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  July  14,  1881. 

""  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  2,  1882. 

"^TTw  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  February  9,  1881;  The 
Lemars  Sentinel,  May  5,  1881. 

*'^  The  Sibley  Gazette  and  The  Sioux  County  Herald, 
quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  April  21,  May  12,  1881. 

"^The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  February  9,  1881;  The 
Lemars  Sentinel,  February  10,  April  21,  June  9,  August  11, 
1881. 

"*  Laws  of  Iowa,  1868,  pp.  126-128. 

^^'^  MacmiUan's  Magazine,  Vol.  XLIV,  p.  68;  The  Lemars 
Sentinel,  June  16,  1881. 

"« The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  2,  1882. 

"^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  24,  1881,  February  2, 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  271 

1882.    These  farms  were  advertised  for  rent  in  The  Lemars 
Sentinel,  July  21,  August  4,  1881. 

"*  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  24,  1881. 
Of  the  life  led  by  tenants  on  these  pioneer  farms  the  pres- 
ent writer  has  no  recollection  but  from  a  conversation  with 
his  parents,  after  this  article  was  written,  he  discovered  that 
he  had  spent  most  of  his  first  year  on  a  Close  farm  in 
Osceola  County,  one  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Bigelow, 
Minnesota,  and  eight  miles  north  of  Sibley.  There,  on  the 
treeless  prairie,  shortly  after  their  arrival  from  Holland  in 
the  spring  of  1884,  the  writer's  parents  took  up  their  abode. 
Then,  having  harvested  a  crop  of  flax,  they  decided  to 
abandon  farming.  Owing  to  a  shortage  of  houses  in  Sibley, 
they  had  no  choice  but  to  spend  the  autumn  and  winter 
months  in  another  of  those  cheerless  tenant  houses.  Before 
removing  to  town  on  March  1,  1885,  they  sold  their  horses 
and  farm  machinery  to  the  writer's  uncle  and  aunt  who 
were  also  recent  immigrants  from  Holland. 

A  news  item  in  The  Lemars  Sentinel  of  June  16,  1881, 
hinted  at  the  promotion  of  Dutch  immigration  to  north- 
western Iowa  in  the  following  terms: 

"Some  five  or  six  weeks  ago  two  Hollanders,  brothers, 
named  Harry  and  Mello  Dykema  came  to  Lemars.  Harry 
had  been  a  business  man  in  Holland,  and  Mello  had  served 
four  and  a  half  years  on  the  Parisian  journals.  Both  are 
brilliant,  talented  and  energetic.  Lemars  did  not  seem  a 
promising  field  for  a  foreign  journalist  and  the  whilom  man- 
ager of  a  great  mercantile  House,  but  they  were  bound  to 
make  a  career  of  some  sort.  Soon  the  real  estate  firm  of 
Richardson  &  Hospers  saw  in  these  dashing  young  men,  the 
ablest  of  immigration  commissioners,  and  last  week  Harry 
was  sent  back  to  Holland  to  direct  the  tide  of  homeseekers 
towards  Plymouth  and  Sioux  counties.  He  will  doubtless 
give  a  good  account  of  himself,  and  in  two  or  three  months 
we   expect   to   see   several   hundred   sturdy  and  well-to-do 


272  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Holland  farmers,  with  their  families,  added  to  our  population. 

"In  the  meantime,  Mello,  the  ex- journalist,  is  writing 
letters  to  the  leading  papers  in  Holland,  calling  the  attention 
of  intending  emigrants  to  the  advantages  of  northwestern 
Iowa.  .  .  .  We  congratulate  Richardson  &  Hospers  in  having 
secured  the  services  of  such  gifted  and  active  young  men, 
and  hope  they  may  prosper  in  their  new  home." 

Henry  Hospers  in  1869  began  to  promote  the  immigration 
of  Hollanders  to  his  "colony"  in  Sioux  County  not  many 
miles  north  of  Le  Mars.  Himself  a  native  of  The  Nether- 
lands and  for  many  years  a  prominent  figure  at  Pella  in 
Marion  County  where  thousands  of  fellow-countrymen  had 
found  homes  since  1847,  Mr.  Hospers  induced  a  large  number 
of  his  energetic  young  neighbors  to  leave  that  rapidly  filling 
portion  of  the  State  and  go  with  him  to  found  the  towns  of 
East  Orange  (now  Alton)  and  Orange  City  in  northwestern 
Iowa.  Those  pioneer  farmers  of  Dutch  birth  and  ancestry 
blazed  the  way  and  thousands  of  emigrants  fresh  from 
Holland  afterwards  joined  their  settlement,  Le  Mars  being 
the  nearest  railroad  town  and  trade  center  for  many  years. 
For  further  information  on  the  subject  the  reader  is  re- 
ferred to  Van  der  Zee's  The  Hollanders  of  Iowa. 

"^^^  MacmUlan's  Magazine,  Vol.  XLIV,  p.  68. 

"".r^ie  Lemars  Sentinel,  May  5,  12,  1881,  September  27, 
1883. 

CHAPTER  XII 

^*^  The  St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sen- 
tinel, April  28,  1881. 

^^^  Macmillan's  Magazine,  Vol.  XLIV,  p.  68;  Anamosa 
Journal,  quoted  in  The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  June  1, 1881. 

"'  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  24,  July  28,  October  6, 
.1881;  MacmUlan^s  Magazine,  Vol.  XLIV,  p.  68. 


NOTES  AND  EEFERENCES  273 

"*  The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  May  26,  1880;  The  Lemars 
Sentinel,  February  24,  May  19,  December  22,  1881. 

^*^  Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  pp.  22-24.  See 
also  an  article  in  Harper's  New  Monthly  Magazine,  Vol. 
LXII,  p.  767. 

^^^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  January  20,  27,  March  10,  July 
14,  1881;  Macmillan's  Magazine,  Vol.  XLIV,  p.  67. 

^^'^  Macmillan's  Magazine,  Vol.  XLIV,  p.  69. 

'^^^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  July  14,  1881;  Harper's  New 
Monthly  Magazine,  Vol.  LXII,  p.  766. 

"»r;i€  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  December  8,  1880. 

^^°  For  brief  sketches  of  these  two  men,  see  History  of  the 
Counties  of  Woodbury  and  Plymouth,  Iowa  (A.  Warner  & 
Co.,  1890-1891),  pp.  527,  747,  784. 

On  the  coming  of  Scotchmen  see  The  Lemars  Sentinel, 
April  14,  June  9,  1881;  The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  June 

23,  1880. 

^"  For  all  these  facts  see  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February 

24,  April  7,  May  12,  August  25,  September  15,  1881,  March 
2,  1882 ;  History  of  the  Counties  of  Woodbury  and  Plymouth, 
Iowa  (A.  Warner  &  Co.,  1890-1891),  p.  750. 

^^2  The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars) ,  June  8,  1881 ;  The  Lemars 
Sentinel,  June  2,  1881,  October  13,  1885. 

1"  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  September  29,  1881,  October  18, 
1883. 

"*  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  July  14,  1881,  May  31,  1883. 

^'^^Mr.  Bigelow's  statement  was  unwarranted  at  the  time 
he  wrote.  There  were  two  Exeter  College,  Oxford,  men: 
Henry  H.  Drake  and  Percy  Atkinson,  and  F.  R.  Price,  an 
Oxford   blue  from   Queen's   College.     James   and   William 


274  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

Close,  Con  Benson,  and  Jack  Wakefield  were  the  only  Cam- 
bridge men. 

^''^  See  Poultney  Bigelow's  story  in  Harper's  New  Monthly 
Magazine,  Vol.  LXII,  p.  764. 

CHAPTER  XIII 

^^^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  August  4,  1881. 

"^  Close 's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  28. 

^^*  The  London  Times,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sentinel, 
December  15,  1881. 

180  Pqj,  ^  good  general  account  of  farm  pupils,  see  Maxi- 
milian's Magazine,  Vol.  LXII,  pp.  193,  194. 

^^^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  24,  1881;  Macmtllan's 
Magazine,  Vol.  XLIV,  p.  67. 

^®*  Mellersh  's  The  English  Colony  in  Iowa,  pp.  3,  4. 

It  is  said  that  the  name  "pups"  given  to  the  farm  pupils 
originated  in  the  fact  that  Captain  Moreton  had  from  the 
beginning  gone  into  the  raising  of  thoroughbred  dogs  on  his 
farm. 

"3  The  Earl  of  Ducie  died  in  England  in  1921  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-four. 

***  The  number  was  probably  exaggerated. 

**'  Mellersh 's  The  English  Colony  in  Iowa,  pp.  3,  4. 

**' Mellersh 's  The  English  Colony  in  Iowa,  p.  5. 

^®^  Mellersh 's  The  English  Colony  in  Iowa,  p.  5 

*^*  Mellersh 's  The  English  Colony  in  Iowa,  pp.  6,  7. 

^*' Mellersh 's  The  English  Colony  in  Iowa,  pp.  7,  8. 

^^°  Mellersh 's  The  English  Colony  in  Iowa,  p.  6. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  275 

191  For  these  criticisms  of  the  farm  pupil  system  see  Mctc- 
millan's  Magazine,  Vol.  LXII,  p.  196. 

^®^  Carroll  Herald,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  August 
3,  1882. 

^^^The  LeMars  Semi-Weekly  Sentinel,  March  17,  1885. 
See  also  Will  H.  Kernan's  account  for  the  American  Press 
Association  in  the  issue  of  January  11,  1887. 

CHAPTER  XIV 

^®*  See  Thomas  Hughes's  article  in  MacmUlan's  Magazine, 
Vol.  XLIII,  pp.  310-315. 

"'  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  17,  1881. 

In  the  Brooklyn  Eagle,  April  16,  1881,  appeared  the  fol- 
lowing news  item; 

' '  A  veteran  emigrant  in  the  person  of  Mrs.  Hughes,  mother 
of  Thomas  Hughes,  is  on  her  way  to  her  son's  colony  at 
Rugby,  East  Tennessee.  She  proposes  to  vindicate  her  faith 
in  his  success  by  becoming  a  member  of  it.  At  the  age  of 
83  and  over,  she  starts  out  to  make  a  home  in  a  new  country 
and  among  strangers,  and  her  motive  is  not  necessity,  but 
affection.  She  believes  in  her  son,  and  having  devoted  so 
much  of  her  life  to  him  she  crowns  it  with  a  last  act  that 
is  all  the  more  beautiful  because  it  is  performed  at  such  a 
cost.  To  the  old,  home  ties  and  local  attachments  are  in- 
tensely strong,  and  this  lady  cannot  be  unlike  her  kind  in 
this  respect.  She  comes  to  live  alone,  away  from  her  son, 
in  order  that  what  he  is  trying  to  do  will  not  fail  if  her 
presence  will  prevent  it.  It  is  pleasant  to  know  that  she 
has  been  offered  a  special  car  to  take  her  by  easy  stages  to 
her  new  home,  and  that  every  attention  is  to  be  paid  her 
on  her  arrival." 

Mr.  Adair  Colpoys,  who  first  became  interested  in  the 
Le  Mars  Colony  through  the  Close  pamphlet  which  was  sent 


276  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

to  him  in  Australia,  also  visited  the  Rugby  Colony.  The 
present  writer  called  upon  him  at  Le  Mars  in  the  summer 
of  1921  and  learned  that  the  site  of  the  Tennessee  Colony 
was  poor  timber  land,  stony  and  partially  cleared,  with  titles 
in  bad  condition. 

^^'  The  Lemars  Sentinel  kept  Englishmen  at  Le  Mars  in 
touch  with  the  Tennessee  experiment.  See  issues  for  August 
25,  September  1,  1881,  February  9,  December  28,  1882,  March 
8,  27,  1883. 

^"^  See  the  article  in  Macmillan's  Magazine,  Vol.  LXII,  p. 
193. 

CHAPTER  XV 

*®*  The  writer  forgot  to  mention  high-backed  tin  baths 
which  also  found  a  place  in  many  an  Englishman's  "lug- 
gage". 

""  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  April  7,  1881,  April  11,  1884. 

2o<*  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  November  7,  1883. 

2°^  Denison  Bulletin,  quoted  in  The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars) , 
January  5,  1881. 

=^°2  Dubuque  Herald,  quoted  in  The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars), 
August  10,  1881. 

^°^ Fonda  Gazette,  quoted  in  The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars), 
August  3,  1881. 

2°^  Dubuque  Telegraph,  May  21,  1881. 

"5  St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press,  July  31,  1881. 

^^^  New  York  Review,  quoted  in  The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le 
Mars),  January  5,  1881. 

2"  The  Chicago  Tribune,  December  12,  1881. 


NOTES  AND  KEFERENCES  277 

^^^  Harper's  New  Monthly  Magazine,  Vol.  LXII,  pp.  764- 

768. 

^°^  Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  pp.  1-32,  with 
a  map  of  Iowa. 

'^°  Macmillan's  Magazine,  Vol.  XLIV,  pp.  65,  67. 

Benson's  article  was  recommended  to  English  squires  by 
The  Lemars  Sentinel,  June  16,  1881.  Robert  Benson,  a 
brother  of  Constantine  W.  Benson  who  was  a  partner  of  the 
Close  brothers,  is  to-day  the  head  of  Robert  Benson  and 
Company,  financiers  in  the  city  of  London.  He  and  Mr. 
Stickney  of  St.  Paul  financed  the  Chicago  and  Great  Western 
Railway  system. 

2"  Manchester  Courier,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sentinel, 
March  3,  1881. 

2^2  Toronto  Globe,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  June 
16,  1881. 

^^^  Manchester  Courier,  quoted  in  The  Lemxirs  Sentinel, 
January  27,  1881. 

^^*  London  Times,  quoted  in  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  Decem- 
ber 15,  1881. 

2"  Punch,  November  12,  1881. 

CHAPTER  XVI 

^^®  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  substantiate  the  statements 
made  in  the  next  few  pages  of  the  text:  information  on  the 
various  activities  in  which  Englishmen  engaged  was  obtained 
from  Le  Mars  newspapers  covering  the  years  1880-1887,  as 
well  as  from  individuals. 

^"  The  writer  visited  Le  Mars  during  the  summer  of  1921 
and  became  indebted  to  Mr.  Colpoys  and  Mr.  Ed  Dalton  for 
many  statements  in  this  article.     Acknowledgments  are  also 


278  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

due  to  Mr.  Henry  H.  Drake  of  Sioux  City  with  whom  the 
writer  spent  a  very  pleasant  afternoon  talking  about  the 
early  days.  Mr.  Drake  is  an  Exeter  College,  Oxford  Univer- 
sity, man, 

CHAPTER  XVII 

^^  History  of  the  Counties  of  Woodbury  and  Plymouth, 
Iowa  (A.  Warner  &  Co.,  1890-1891),  pp.  423,  429. 

2"  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  May  25,  1882. 

"T/ie  Lemars  Sentinel,  August  31,  1882;  The  LeMars 
Daily  Liberal,  August  22,  23,  1882. 

"1  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  March  1,  1883. 

"2  The  Lemxirs  Sentinel,  October  12,  1882. 

"3  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  October  19,  1882. 

22*  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  March  1,  1883.  This  newspaper 
published  a  supplement,  April  5,  on  the  coal  discovery  for 
the  purpose  of  attracting  settlers. 

^^^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  December  7,  28,  1882,  January 
18,  1883. 

22«  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  January  25,  March  1,  1883. 

"^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  March  15,  22,  June  28,  1883. 

228  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  June  30,  July  5,  12,  1883,  Jan- 
uary 15,  18,  22,  1884. 

''^^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  29,  March  9,  September 
2,  12,  17,  October  10,  1884. 

Captain  Moreton  seems  to  have  gone  to  Illinois  and  later 
to  Canada.    His  death  was  recently  reported. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  279 

CHAPTER  XVIII 

"T/ie  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  January  21,  1880, 

"ly/ie  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  February  4,  1880. 

"2  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  March  31,  April  28,  May  5,  1881. 

2^^  r/ie  Lemars  Sentinel,  December  7,  1882. 

2'*  Tfee  Lemars  Sentinel,  March  29,  April  5,  1883,  Decem- 
ber 25,  1885. 

'^^^  Macmillun's  Magazine,  Vol.  XLIV,  p.  67. 

"« The  Lemars  Sentinel,  June  16,  July  7,  1881. 

2"  r?ie  Lemars  Sentinel,  July  21,  28,  1881. 

238  y^  Lemars  Sentinel,  August  11,  1881. 

"9  rfee  Lemars  Sentinel,  August  9,  1883. 

2*0  r?ie  Lemars  Sentinel,  August  8,  1884,  June  7,  1887. 

^*^The  loiva  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  May  19,  1880,  August  25, 
1882;  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  May  5,  June  2,  1881,  May  25, 
1882. 

2*2  r^e  Lemars  Sentinel,  June  16,  23,  1881;  The  Iowa 
Liberal  (Le  Mars),  July  6,  1881. 

2"  The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  July  6,  1881;  The  Lemars 
Sentinel,  July  7,  1881. 

2"  »Sftowx  Cift/  Journal,  July  1,  1881. 

2*5  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  July  14,  September  29,  October 
13,  1881;  The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  July  6,  1881. 

2*«  The  LeMars  Daily  Liberal,  August  19,  September  9,  13, 
1882 ;  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  June  15,  October  12,  1882,  May 
31,  October  11,  1883,  June  6,  12,  August  25,  October  7,  1884, 
June  9,  October  2,  1885. 


280  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

'^'The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  August  11,  1882;  The 
Lemars  Sentinel,  September  29,  1881,  October  12,  1882. 

"«  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  March  29,  1883. 

""  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  January  15,  22,  February  1,  1884, 
January  9,  1885. 

"°The  LeMars  Daily  Liberal,  August  7,  25,  1882;  The 
Lemars  Sentinel,  July  12,  1887.  Of  this  club,  G.  C.  Mac- 
lagan  was  president,  C.  N.  Richards  vice  president,  J.  U. 
Sammis  secretary,  and  F.  E.  Romanes  and  Tom  Aldersey 
executive  committee. 

2'^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  August  1,  October  10,  1884. 

^^^  Many  of  these  facts  were  obtained  from  Mr.  Ed  Dalton 
of  Le  Mars  and  Mr.  Henry  H.  Drake  of  Sioux  City.  See 
also  Freeman's  History  of  Plymouth  County,  Iowa,  Vol.  I, 
pp.  430,  431 ;  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  3,  1885. 

^^^The  Lemars  Sentinel,  November  10,  1881,  October  12, 
1882,  April  12,  1883. 

2^*  The  Le  Mars  Semi-Weekly  Sentinel  gives  this  account 
of  a  typical  Derby  week  in  its  issue  of  January  11,  1887. 

"5  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  June  21,  1887. 

The  only  discordant  note  heard  during  these  jubilee  days 
was  the  letter  of  P.  J.  Dunn  protesting  against  the  celebra- 
tion because  Queen  Victoria  had  done  nothing  to  ameliorate 
conditions  in  the  Empire,  least  of  all  in  Ireland  where  the 
landlords  during  the  years  1841-1851  had  been  allowed  to 
destroy  269,253  dwellings  and  in  1849  to  evict  50,000  fam- 
ilies. —  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  July  5,  1887. 

CHAPTER  XIX 
"'^The  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  June  2,  9,  16,  1880. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  281 

^^''  Sioux  City  Journal,  quoted  in  Tlie  Iowa  Liberal  (Le 
Mars),  June  16,  1880. 

^^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  April  14,  1881. 

"»  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  3,  1881. 

"°  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  March  30,  1882. 

2"  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  June  29,  July  13,  1882. 

^^'^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  January  25,  1883,  replied  as  fol- 
lows to  Dacres's  stricture:  ''You  ought  to  be  thankful  you 
didn't  have  a  bullet  hole  bored  through  you,  like  the  little 
Irishman  had  a  few  weeks  ago." 

283  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  June  27,  1884. 

28*  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  March   7,   1884,   November   11, 

1887. 

'''^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  August  18,  1881. 

288  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  16,  23,  May  31,  Decem- 
ber 21,  1882. 

28T  Th^  Lemars  Sentinel,  July  20,  27,  1882. 

288  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  December  28,  1882. 

289  The  Lemurs  Sentinel,  March  22,  July  26,  November  14, 
1883,  October  10,  1884. 

2^8  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  October  7,  1884,  February  3,  24, 
1885,  January  11,  14,  June  21,  July  12,  1887. 

Charles  Dacres  is  reported  as  having  met  his  death  acci- 
dentally in  a  shooting  affray  at  Yankton,  South  Dakota. 

CHAPTER  XX 

271  Freeman 's  History  of  Plymouth  County,  Iowa,  Vol.  I, 
pp.  431,  432.  The  Minute  Book  of  the  Prairie  Club,  which 
still  has  rooms  but  not  much  support,  is  in  possession  of  Mr. 


282 


THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 


Adair  Colpoys  —  minutes  of  the  organization  meeting  are 
not  recorded.  See  also  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  10, 
December  15,  22,  1881,  August  24,  1882. 

"^^  The  Leniars  Sentinel,  January  25,  1883,  January  18, 
1884,  June  5,  1885. 

="  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  January  22,  29,  1884,  January  13, 
February  6,  1885. 

"*  Minute  Book  of  the  Prairie  Club,  p.  71.  During  the 
first  twelve  years  of  the  club's  existence,  the  treasurer's  book 
contains  the  names  of  nearly  three  hundred  Britishers.  The 
complete  list  deserves  a  place  here: 

AUBERTIN,  J.  D.  BlACKWELL,   W.   F. 

Anson,  J.  O.  Banks,  E.  F. 

Anson,  O.  H.  .  Burnside,  E.  F. 

Baker,  F.  P. 

Burton,  A.  G.  T. 


Aldersey,  T. 
ashton,  j.  d.  w. 
Allen,  E.  T. 
Allen,  C.  T.  R. 
Abbot,  F.  W. 
Allan,  W.  T.  B. 
Andrew,  O. 

Bather,  G.  G. 
Benson,  C.  F. 
Benson,  C.  W. 

BLOMEFIEIiD,   M. 

Briggs,  H.  E. 
Briggs,  W.  C. 
Brodie,  M.  F. 
Brodie,  F.  G. 
Brockbank,  J.  C. 
buckland,  j.  b. 
Bristowe,  L.  H. 
Benecke,  W.  E.  T. 

BiDGOOD,    H.    W. 

Barchard,  H.  S. 
Blackwell,  J.  H. 


Chapman,  M.  J. 
Christian,  H.  C. 
Close,  F. 
Close,  J. 
Close,  W. 
Clowes,  S. 
Close,  J.  H. 
Clowes,  W.  L. 
colledge,  a.  c. 
Courage,  H.  M. 
Colpoys,  A.  G. 
Cunningham,  H.  N. 
Cumberhatch,  Lr.  T. 
Croft,  G.  B. 
Crawley,  E.  M. 
Collins,  J,  Victor 
Collins,  L,  H. 
Carter,  H.  E. 

CaRMICHAEL,  J.   M.  G.  DODSWORTH,   M.   B. 

Campbell,  W.  M.  O.   Duncan,  C.  M. 


Colledge,  a.  J. 
Clarkson,  a. 
Cooper,  J.  C. 
Cowan,  J.  I. 
Cowan,  W.  B. 
Chamberlin,  B.  F. 
Carver,  F. 
colebank,  s. 
Colston,  A.  V. 

COBBE,  L.  C. 

corbett,  h.  e. 
Clifton,  W.  H. 
Coke,  R.  G. 
Clarke,  G.  A.  C. 

Dacres,  C. 
Dawson,  S.  B.  M. 
Dawson,  W.  B. 
Dealtry,  T. 
Dent,  A.  R.  T. 
Douglas,  J. 
Downing,  G.  C. 
Drake,  H. 
Dodsworth,  F.  C.  S. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES 


283 


dowglass,  t. 
Duff,  W.  G. 
De  Moleyns,  E. 
De  Pledge,  H. 
dunwatebs,  a.  g. 

ECKJLES,   C.  H. 
EccLES,  p.  C. 
Ellek,  C. 
Eller,  H, 
Eller,  J. 
Elliott,  Gxnr  P. 
Elliott,  N.  L. 
Elliott,  F.  N. 
Eykyn,  F.  B. 
Edgell,  W.  F. 
Eustace,  J.  S. 

Farquhae,  Albert 
Farquhar,  Charles 
Farquhar,  Jas. 
Farquhar,  Joe 
Farquhar,  Mowbray 
Farquhar,  Will  K. 

FlTLLBROOK,  E.  A. 

fullbrook,  r. 
Fenton,  James 
Fenton,  R.  O. 
Ffoulkes,  S.  W. 
Figgis,  W.  "W. 
Flowers,  C.  A. 
Fairbairn,  F.  R. 

Garn'ett,  G. 
gaskei.l,  s.  w. 
Gee,  a. 
Gibson,  A,  B.  C. 

GrOLIGHTLY,   C.   H. 

Grayson,  J,  H. 
Grouse,  R. 
Gunner,  H.  D. 
Grey,  Algernon 


GiLMORE,    WM.    G. 

Geoffrey,  R. 
Graham,  R.  G.  M. 
Guinness,  C. 

Hathaway,  H.  P. 
Heitland,  a.  R. 
Hill,  R.  G. 

HiLLYARD,  H. 

HoBART,  Lord 
Horsburgh,  F. 
Harper,  A.  E. 

HOPKINSON,  J. 
HURLE,  J.   C. 

Hill,  E.  T. 
hulbert,  "w.  g. 
Harvey,  I.  A. 
Hope,  J,  G. 
Hotham,  Geo. 
Hanbury,  H. 
Heap,  S. 
Henslow,  G.  G. 
Hawtrey,  G. 
Harrison,  R.  W. 
Hyde,  E. 
Hanson,  S.  G. 
Harbord,  R.  a. 

JiKVIS,  C.  L. 
Jebvis,  R.  C. 
Johnson,  D.  G. 
Jameson,  S.  B. 

Kennard,  R.  B. 

KiRWAN,  G. 

Kirwan,  L. 
Mattland 
Kay,  Chas. 
King,  E.  W.  G. 

Langley,  a. 
Lascelles,  a.  G. 


Lord,  A.  H.  M. 
Leycester,  L. 

liOCKHART,   W.    C. 

Langdon,  G.  H. 
Littledale,  E. 
Long,  John 
LUCAS,  Adolphe 
Lake,  Chas. 

Madden,  J.  B. 
Mylius,  C. 
Marsh,  Percy 
Mowbray,  A. 
Medd,  W.  H.  B. 
Master,  A.  C.  C. 
Maclagan,  C.  D. 
Maci^gan,  G.  C. 
Maclagan,  R.  B. 
Maitland,  a,  W. 
Margesson,  H.  p. 
Margesson,  M. 
Margesson,  R. 
Milne,  S. 
Moreton,  F.  J. 
moeeton,  h.  j. 
Moreton,  Capt.  R. 
Morgan,  T. 
Mansel,  H.  G. 
Montgomery,  R.  H. 

Newmarch,  L.  a. 
Newman,  A. 
Nesfield,  E. 
Nash,  J.  R. 
Nicholson,  B. 
Nicholson,  R. 

Oldfield,  C.  B. 
Oede,  Julian  W. 

Paget,  A.  H, 
Paley,  F. 


284 


THE  BRITISH  IN  lOAVA 


Parke,  A. 
Parke,  C. 
Parke,  E.  E. 
Parke,  W. 
Payne,  F. 
Payne,  E. 
Payne,  W.  W. 
Paul,  H. 
Paulton,  W. 
Paulton,  "W.  a. 
Pierce,  J.  T. 
Prescott,  p.  E. 
Preston,  A.  G. 
Preston,  J.  H. 
Prick,  F.  E. 
Price,  H.  J. 
Potter,  E,  E. 
Pardoe,  O.  T. 
PmLSON,  Mr. 
Patten,  H.  S. 

Eaymond,  O.  T. 

ElCKARDS,   H. 

Egberts,  F.  C. 
eobertson,  c.  l. 
Eobertson,  E.  F. 

EOBINSON,  Capt.  F.  B. 
EOMANES,  F.   E. 
EONALDSON,  A. 

EoLLO,  Hon.  Eric 
EoLix),  Hon.  H.  E. 
Beid,  A.  A.  P. 
Eeid,  F.  B. 

ElCHARDS,   G.   J. 


ElCHARDS,    H.   O.   K.     THURSBY,  E.   H. 


ElCHARDS,   H.   W. 

Eatliff,  Thos. 

SiHMS,  H.  A. 

Simpson,  W.  D. 
Sutton,  A.  T. 
Stoner,  W.  G. 
Stubbs,  J.  W.  H. 

SOWERBY,   C. 

Stevens,  W.  H.  P. 
Stoughtox,  H. 
Sharp,  E.  W. 
Sharp,  W.  A. 
Stanier,  Guy 
SuGDEN,  Hon.  H.  I 
Sinclair,  A.  C. 
Sturgess,  a.  H. 
Sturgess,  Edw.  D. 
Statter,  G.  F. 
Smyth,  Chas.  G. 
Starky,  B.  B. 
Swinton,  J.  C.  B. 
Smalley,  J, 
Stanhope,  E. 
Swinburne,  W. 

Taylor,  H.  L, 
Taylor,  L. 
Taylor,  T.  C. 
Thomson,  B.  H. 
Tottenham,  E.  H. 
Touch,  J.  W. 
Tibbitt,  J. 


Taylour,  E.  E. 
Thelwell,  E.  L. 
Tarleton,  H. 
Trotter,  H.  G. 

Vernon,  W.  G. 

Harcourt 
Van  Sommer,  J. 
Veal,  F.  K. 

Wakefield,  J.  W. 
Walker,  Eichard 
Walker,  Egbert 
Waller,  H.  N. 
Wann,  W.  H. 
Warren,  J.  B. 
Watson,  H.  A. 
Watson,  J.  G. 
Wild,  J. 
Williamson,  E.  P. 

Win  STANLEY,  E. 

Wake,  T. 
Walkinshaw,  J. 
Wraight,  p. 
Webster,  D. 
Wilson,  G. 
Waddilove,  J.  C. 
Weir,  A.  Y. 

Young,  David  A. 
Young,  Wm, 
Yonge,  F.  a. 


"T?ie  Iowa  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  January  21,  1880;  T}ie 
Lemars  Sentinel,  February  12,  July  7,  1881,  June  15,  1882, 
February  29,  June  6,  October  7,  1884,  June  9,  1885. 

"^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  March  3,  1885.  These  journeys 
to  and  from  England  were  chronicled  in  the  Le  Mars  news- 
papers with  such  frequency  that  references  are  not  deemed 
important  here. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  285 

^"  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  December  22,  1881,  January  5, 
1882. 

"^  New  Mexico  News  and  Express,  December  31,  1881. 

"^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  3,  March  24,  April  14, 
1881.  The  Paullin  boys  had  a  great  wheat  farm  of  4000 
acres  in  Elkhorn  Township,  Plymouth  County,  and  another 
in  O'Brien  County.  See  also  Perkins's  History  of  O'Brien 
County,  Iowa,  p.  352. 

The  death  of  Daniel  Paullin  is  recorded  in  the  following 
editorial : 

"]\lr.  James  B.  Close  received  word  last  week  of  the  death 
of  a  very  dear  friend  of  his,  D.  Paullin,  Esq.  late  of  Quincy, 
Illinois,  at  Dubuque,  on  Thursday  April  7th.  It  was  largely 
through  Mr.  Paullin 's  favorable  representations  that  the 
Close  Bros,  were  induced  to  come  here,  for  in  their  inter- 
course with  him  they  had  learned  to  attach  great  weight 
to  his  judgment.  They  had  found  him  to  be  a  gentleman  of 
integrity  and  honor,  and  the  longer  they  knew  him,  the  more 
they  came  to  respect  and  revere  him.  About  a  year  ago  Wm. 
B.  Close  married  Mr.  Paullin 's  daughter,  Mary,  in  New  York, 
and  went  to  England  where  they  now  are.  Henry  and  D. 
Edward,  sons  of  the  deceased  are  well  known  here,  especially 
the  former  who  at  present  resides  in  Cherokee,  and  very 
largely  engaged  in  stock  raising.  Though  the  elder  Paullin 
was  wholly  unknown  to  our  people,  yet  the  fact  that  he  was 
remotely  instrumental  in  turning  such  a  healthy  stream  of 
home  seekers  in  this  direction,  entitles  his  memory  to  grate- 
ful recognition."  —  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  April  14,  1881. 

Henry  and  D.  Edward  Paullin,  graduates  of  Harvard,  be- 
came engaged  in  stock  farming,  the  former  at  Cherokee  and 
the  latter  on  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  PauUina  in 
O'Brien  County. 

2«°r/ic  Lemars  Sentinel,  October  6,  1881,  May  11,  1882, 
August  25,  1884. 


286  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

James  B.  Close  and  Samuel  H.  Graves  later  married  sisters 
of  Mrs.  Fred  B.  Close. 

*"  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  September  29,  1881.  The  letter 
was  published  in  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  October  6,  1881,  and 
reads  as  follows: 

"Lemars,  Iowa,  27th  September  1881. 

DEAB  MADAM: — ^As  representing  probably  the  largest  colony  of 

Englishmen  in  the  United  States,  we  venture  to  intrude  upon  your  great 

sorrow  so  far  as  to  send  you  a  letter  expressing  our  hearty  sympathy 

with  you  in  your  loss. 

"You  stand  in  the  sad  position  of  chief  mourner  among  a  world  of 
mourners.  The  sorrow  by  which  all  are  touched  is  focussed  upon  you. 
In  the  presence  of  such  grief  as  yours  we  cannot  but  stand  awe  struck. 
"We  can  assure  you  that  the  nobility  of  the  late  President's  charac- 
ter both  public  and  private,  and  his  patient  courage  and  resignation 
in  the  face  of  death,  have  excited  our  warmest  admiration. 

"We  can  only  hope  and  pray  that  the  strength  which  has  sustained 
you  through  the  late  long,   patient  struggle  between  life  and  death, 
may  be  granted  to  you  in  the  remaining  duties  of  life.    We  are  Madam, 
Tours  in  true  sympathy, 
H.  N.  Cunningham,   G.  C.  Maclagan, 
B.  MoRETON,  John  H.  Gr.\yson, 

James  B.  Close,         James  S.  Fenton, 
J.  C.  Cooper. 

2"  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  2,  October  19,  Novem- 
ber 9,  1882,  March  28,  1884. 

Captain  Moreton  made  an  address  at  the  graves  of  Hornby 
and  Dalton,  on  the  occasion  of  a  double  funeral.  —  The  Daily 
Liberal  (Le  Mars),  January  30,  1882. 

^*'  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  January  5,  March  28,  1884,  Jan- 
uary 27,  1885. 

CHAPTEB  XXI 

"*r;ic  loxva  Liberal  (Le  Mars),  April  6,  July  27,  1881; 
The  Lemars  Sentinel,  March  10,  17,  June  2,  July  28,  August 
11,  1881;  Records  of  St.  George's  Parish  (Le  Mars),  pp.  5,  8. 


NOTES  AND  EEFERENCES  287 

"5  The  Lenmrs  Sentinel,  October  6,  August  11,  25,  1881, 
November  7,  1883. 

The  reference  to  Rev.  Howard's  meeting  Jack  Wakefield 
at  a  wine  is  likely  to  be  misconstrued  by  American  readers: 
it  means  that  when  the  proctor  was  making  his  rounds  at 
Cambridge  as  the  university's  police  officer  he  encountered 
Jack  drinking  wine  at  some  time  or  place  prohibited  by  the 
university  statutes.  Under  such  circumstances  the  proctor 
took  his  name  and  college  address  and  requested  him  to  ap- 
pear next  day  to  pay  the  fine  prescribed  for  such  an  offense. 
This  system  of  discipline  still  prevails  at  Oxford  and  Cam- 
bridge and  contributes  somewhat  to  their  treasuries. 

2^^  The  Lemars  Sentin^,  September  15,  October  6,  20,  27, 
November  10,  1881,  January  26,  July  13,  1882,  January  18, 
1883. 

2"  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  July  27,  December  28,  1882.  See 
also  Journal  of  the  Annual  Convention  of  the  Diocese  of 
Iowa,  1887,  p.  80,  1890,  p.  20. 

***  The  Iowa  Churchman.  See  also  The  Lemars  Sentinel, 
October  17,  1882,  February  8,  November  7,  1883. 

^^^  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  February  5,  April  8,  1884,  Jan- 
uary 9,  June  9,  1885,  June  17,  24,  1887.  See  also  Records 
of  St.  George's  Parish  (Le  Mars),  pp.  107-115,  136. 

28«  The  Lemars  Sentinel,  August  17,  1882,  April  22,  1884, 
January  6,  13,  27,  1885. 

^^^  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arthur  E.  Marsh  had  come  from  England, 
Mr.  Marsh  being  at  Le  Mars  as  early  as  1880.  Their  son, 
Arthur  Henry  (bom  on  July  12,  1883),  was  baptized  at 
Calliope  by  Rev.  H.  N.  Cunningham.  —  Records  of  St. 
George's  Parish  (Le  Mars),  p.  143. 

Since  his  ordination,  Rev.  Marsh  has  for  many  years  served 
as  rector  at  Blair,  Nebraska.     His  son  graduated  from  the 


288  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

University  of  Nebraska;  was  elected  Rhodes  Scholar  for 
Nebraska  in  1905 ;  studied  theology  at  Keble  College,  Oxford ; 
received  the  degrees  of  B.  A.  and  M.  A.  from  the  University 
of  Oxford;  was  ordained  a  priest  in  the  United  States;  and 
was  vicar  in  charge  of  St.  Paul's  Church  in  Omaha  when 
war  was  declared  against  Germany  in  1917.  He  became  a 
chaplain  with  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant,  and  sailed  for 
France  on  July  30,  1918.  On  the  night  of  October  3,  after 
only  two  months  of  service,  he  was  gassed  and  died  of  pneu- 
monia at  Vittel  in  the  Vosges  on  October  7th.  The  younger 
Marsh  was  well  known  to  the  writer  who  spent  the  same 
three  years  at  Oxford  and  had  the  pleasure  of  his  company 
on  vacations  in  North  Wales,  the  Scandinavian  countries, 
and  Germany. 

**^  Mr.  Henry  H.  Drake  married  Mr.  Richmond's  daughter 
and  Sioux  City  has  been  their  home  for  many  years. 

'^^  Journal  of  the  Anniuil  Convention  of  the  Diocese  of 
Iowa,  1887,  pp.  7,  9,  65-70,  1890,  pp.  40,  41,  1893,  pp.  7,  8, 
114. 

CHAPTER  XXII 

''°*  Close's  Farming  in  North-Western  Iowa,  p.  24;  Har- 
per's New  Monthly  Magazine,  Vol.  LXII,  pp.  766,  767. 

**'  These  facts  were  gathered  from  interviews  with  Mr.  Ed 
Dalton  of  Le  Mars  and  Mr.  Henry  H.  Drake  of  Sioux  City 
and  from  a  letter  written  by  William  B.  Close  on  November 
30,  1921. 

^^  These  words  with  music,  according  to  Mr.  Henry  H. 
Drake,  were  written  about  the  year  1884  by  R.  T.  Patrick 
and  W.  D.  Harmon  to  be  sung  "any  old  time". 

2"  See  footnote  144. 

^"^  It  is  interesting  to  note  the  strength  of  the  British- 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  289 

born  element  in  the  population  of  the  seven  counties  of 
northwestern  Iowa  since  1880,  omitting  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  British-Americans: 


ConNTIES 

1880 

1885 

1890 

1895 

1900 

1905 

1915 

1920 

Plymouth 

English 

365 

601 

616 

489 

377 

303 

204 

184 

Irish 

291 

444 

385 

332 

260 

205 

159 

119 

Scotch 

70 

120 

120 

105 

75 

81 

72 

65 

Welsh 

13 

20 

21 

18 

12 

8 

12 

Woodbury 

English 

230 

636 

977 

658 

666 

648 

845 

731 

Irish 

512 

1159 

1271 

988 

909 

855 

675 

548 

Scotch 

61 

141 

236 

183 

182 

197 

205 

192 

"Welsh 

15 

32 

19 

21 

13 

26 

25 

Cherokee 

English 

185 

275 

261 

257 

224 

199 

198 

164 

Irish 

179 

246 

247 

249 

223 

196 

149 

131 

Scotch 

80 

116 

134 

107 

107 

95 

67 

57 

Welsh 

11 

10 

31 

27 

13 

8 

9 

0  'Brien 

English 

91 

154 

196 

156 

150 

125 

238 

94 

Irish 

103 

137 

193 

199 

167 

137 

86 

62 

Scotch 

32 

87 

81 

66 

69 

67 

59 

45 

Welsh 

11 

10 

11 

14 

9 

7 

7 

Suyux 

English 

60 

146 

203 

159 

133 

103 

70 

47 

Irish 

102 

164 

236 

205 

191 

149 

72 

65 

Scotch 

10 

23 

39 

31 

26 

18 

7 

6 

Welsh 

10 

3 

8 

2 

3 

1 

3 

Osceola 

English 

64 

128 

123 

103 

69 

59 

37 

27 

Irish 

38 

68 

49 

52 

70 

58 

28 

23 

Scotch 

9 

54 

30 

24 

17 

10 

7 

2 

Welsh 

4 

26 

9 

5 

2 

5 

3 

Lyon 

English 

21 

97 

172 

103 

81 

70 

49 

42 

Irish 

23 

47 

93 

99 

98 

84 

48 

27 

Scotch 

9 

16 

31 

40 

30 

14 

20 

7 

Welsh 

2 

5 

6 

4 

4 

2 

3 

For  these  figures  see  United  States  Census,  1880,  Vol,  I, 
pp.  506-508,  1890,  Vol.  II,  pp.  628,  629,  1900,  Vol.  I,  Pt.  1, 


290  THE  BRITISH  IN  IOWA 

pp.  750,  751;  Population:  Iowa,  Composition  and  Character- 
istics of  the  Population,  1920,  pp.  21,  22 ;  and  Census  of  Iowa, 
1885,  pp.  164-166,  1895,  pp.  304-307,  1905,  pp.  517-520,  and 
1915,  pp.  462-464. 

In  1885  and  1895  the  British-born  inhabitants  of  towns 
were  separately  reported  and  the  returns  for  Le  Mars  and 
Sioux  City  were  as  follows: 


Le  Mars 

Sumx  City 

1885 

1895 

1885 

1895 

Canadians 

132 

162 

Canadians 

618 

636 

English 

154 

144 

English 

341 

428 

Irish 

102 

94 

Irish 

872 

672 

Scotch 

29 

26 

Scotch 

95 

109 

See  Census  of  Iowa,  1885,  pp.  61,  81,  1895,  pp.  332,  333. 

^®®  The  Western  Town  Lot  Company  platted  all  these 
towns  in  1882  and  1883  and  named  them  after  the  Duke  of 
Sutherland,  Sir  Richard  Granville  (the  navigator  and 
explorer),  Henry  Ireton  (Oliver  Cromwell's  son-in-law), 
Hawarden  (William  E.  Gladstone's  home),  Admiral  Lord 
Charles  Beresford,  and  Colonel  Alcester.  Plj-mouth  and 
O'Brien  counties  had  been  created  earlier  and  were  named 
in  honor  of  the  landing  place  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  and 
William  Smith  O'Brien,  the  leader  of  the  movement  for 
Irish  independence  in  1848.  The  name  "Alton"  can  also 
be  traced  back  to  a  town  in  England.  The  village  of  Archer 
in  O'Brien  County  was  named  by  an  Englishman,  John  H. 
Archer,  who  has  been  heavily  interested  in  land  in  that 
neighborhood  for  many  years. 

The  Western  Town  Lot  Company  was  incorporated  in  the 
interest  of  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Railway  Company 
for  the  purpose  of  securing,  subdividing,  and  platting  the 
land  needed  for  town  sites,  and  for  placing  lots  on  the  market 
at  reasonable  rates  so  that  settlers  should  not  be  at  the 
mercy   of   speculators   who   usually   demanded   extortionate 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  291 

prices.  All  the  proceeds  secured  from  the  sale  of  the  lots 
reached  the  treasury  of  the  railroad  company.  —  A  History 
of  th£  Origin  of  the  Place  Names  Connected  with  the  Chicago 
and  North  Western  Railway  (1908),  p.  35. 

The  Close  brothers  did  not  go  in  for  town-planning,  but 
their  village  of  Quorn  in  southeastern  Plymouth  County  re- 
ceived its  name  from  the  place  in  Leicestershire,  England, 
where  Fred  Close  had  enjoyed  many  a  holiday  in  fox-hunt- 
ing. The  Quorn  Hunt  is  perhaps  the  best  known  in  England 
to-day. 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Abbott,  F,  W.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Aberdeen  (Scotland),  literature 
distributed  in,  36 

Abingdon  Agricultural  Society, 
dinner  of,  167 

Adams's  rink,  hockey  games  at, 
202 

Agriculture,  prospectuses  concern- 
ing, 90;  contributions  of  Close 
brothers  to,  120-128;  impetus 
to,  129 

Akron,  cricket  team  of,  191 ;  foot- 
ball game  with,  204;  visits  at, 
231;  change  of  name  to,  238; 
Episcopalians  at,  243;  mission 
church  at,  243;  English  resident 
at,  247  (see  also  Portlandville) 

Alberta  (Canada),  lowans  in,  47 

Albion  House,  naming  of,  96; 
festivals  at,  227,  234;  death  at, 
234 

Albion  stables,  138 

Alcester,  Colonel,  town  named  for, 
290 

Alcester  (South  Dakota),  origin 
of  name  of,  252,  290 

Aldersey,  Tom,  part  of,  in  tennis 
tournament,  208;  services  of,  on 
committee,  280;  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Alfred,  mention  of,  253 

Aliens,  amount  of  land  owned  by, 
116,   117,  268,  269 

Allamakee  County,  Irish  in,  43 


Allan,  W.  T.  B.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Alleghany  Mountains,  Frederick 
B.  Close  in,  57,  60 

Allen,  C.  T.  R.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Allen,  E.  T.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Allen,  Ehla,  presence  of,  at  dance, 
227 

Allison,  Judge,  presence  of,  at 
dance,  227 

Allison,  Mrs.,  presence  of,  at 
dance,  227 

Allison,  Fannie,  presence  of,  at 
dance,  227 

Allison,  Hattie,  presence  of,  at 
dance,  227 

Allison's  drug  store,  mention  of, 
212 

Alton,  origin  of  name  of,  252, 
290;   founding  of,  272 

Alva  (Scotland),  marriage  at,  233 

America,  peopling  of,  7,  8,  10; 
literature  relating  to,  17;  lec- 
tures on,  17,  18;  books  about, 
23,  24 

American  Press  Association,  ac- 
count of,  275 

Americans,  ancestry  of,  7;  migra- 
tion of,  10;  purchase  of  Eng- 
lish farms  by,  114,  115;  farms 
rented  by,  127;  attitude  of, 
toward  farm  pupils,  151,  153, 
154,    155;    attitude    of,    toward 


295 


296 


INDEX 


English,  171,  213,  214;  attitude 
of  English  toward,  215-220;  in- 
vitation of,  to  Prairie  Club, 
224;  dinner  dance  given  by, 
224,  225,  226;  admission  of,  to 
Prairie  Club,  226 

Anderson,  Ed.,  part  of,  in  foot- 
ball game,  207 

Andrew,  O.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Angles,  migration  of,  7 

Anglican  Church,  separation  from, 
237  (see  also  Episcopal  Church) 

Anglo-American  syndicate,  land 
owned  by,  268 

Anglo-Saxons,  kinship  of,  with 
Americans,    19 

Angus,  Scotch  in,  48 

Anson,  J.  O.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Anson,  O.  H.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Apollo  Hall  (Le  Mars),  ball  held 
at,  209,  233,  234;  concert  at, 
224;   church  services  in,  237 

Appanoose  County,  Welsh  in,  44; 
English  in,  50;  Scotch  in,  257 

Archer,  John  H.,  town  named  for, 
290 

Archer,  origin  of  name  of,  252, 
290 

Archimedes,  mention  of,   183 

Arkansas,  land  owned  in,  by 
aliens,  268 

Arlington  Township  (Woodbury 
County),  loss  of  sheep  in,  134 

Armour  and  Company,  employee 
of,  177 

Ashton,  J.  D.  W.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Asia,  inigTations  in,  7 


Atchinson  Boad,  purchase  of  land 
along,  118 

Atkinson,  Percy,  burial  place  of, 
248;  college  of,  273 

Atlantic  Ocean,  voyage  across,  26; 
freight  charges  on,  71 

Aubertin,  J.  D.,  return  of,  to  Eng- 
land, 246;  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Australia,  emigrants  to,  23;  death 
of  Jack  Wakefield  in,  248 

Author's  preface,  7-13 

"Bacchus",  prize  won  by,  197 
"Badger",  race  won  by,  200 
Baggage,  description  of,  162 
Baker,    Francis    P.,    residence   of, 

247;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 

Club,  282 
Ball,  J.  C,  office  in  charge  of,  102 
Balsinger,  Mr,,  farm  of,  181 
Baltimore   (Maryland),  roughs  in, 

211 
Banks,  E.   F.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  282 
Banks,   English  employed  in,   176 
Barchard,   H.   S.,   membership  of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  282 
Barlow,  Captain,  farm  of,  137 
Barlow  Hall,  137 
Barnett,     Philip,     advantages     of 

Iowa  pointed  out  by,  92 
Bams,  provision  for,  63,  65,  123; 

cost  of,  66,  84,  85 
Barrow,  Fred,  horse  owned  by,  199 
Bather,  G.  G.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  282 
Beach,  C.  M.,  land  owned  by,  116 
Beacon,  Welsh  in,  45 
Beck,    W.     H.,    presence    of,    at 

dance,  227 


INDEX 


297 


Benecke,  W.  E,  T.,  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Benson,  Mr.,  absence  of,  from 
game,  205;  presence  of,  at  pic- 
nic, 228 

Benson,  Mrs.,  presence  of,  at  pic- 
nic, 228 

Benson,  C,  services  of,  on  cricket 
committee,  190 

Benson,  Cecil,  buck  killed  by,  189; 
horse  ridden  by,  200;  return  of, 
to  England,  248 

Benson,  Cecil  F.,  partnership  of, 
in  Iowa  Land  Company,  115; 
boat  race  with,  202;  reference 
to,  262;  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Benson,  Constantino  W.,  partner- 
ship of,  in  Close  Brothers  and 
Company,  81;  hospitality  to, 
100;  firm  of,  102;  railroad 
plans  announced  by,  108;  with- 
drawal of,  from  Close,  Benson 
and  Company,  114;  letter  from, 
on  Iowa,  170;  farming  activ- 
ities of,  174;  burial  place  of, 
248;  college  of,  274;  brother 
of,  277;  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Benson,  Robert,  farm  pupil  sys- 
tem described  by,  142;  article 
by,  on  English  colony,  169,  170; 
firm  of,  277;  railroad  financed 
by,  277 

Beresford,  Charles,  town  named 
for,  290 

Beresford  (South  Dakota),  origin 
of  name  of,  252 

Berkshire  hogs,  raising  of,  132 

Bethune,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  cricket 
game,  193 


Bidgood,   H.   W.,  membership  of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  282 
Big    Sioux    River,    bluffs    of,    89; 

sheep  raising  on  bluffs  of,  133; 

ranch  near,  235 
Bigelow,  Poultney,  English  colony 

described  by,  139,  140,  167,  168, 

169;  statement  of,  273 
Bigelow  (Minnesota),  purchase  of 

site  of,  113;  mention  of,  271 
Birmingham     (England),    emigra- 
tion advocated  at,   18,  19,   36; 

mention  of,  258 
Black,    J.,    part    of,    in    athletic 

meet,  201 
Black  Hawk  County,  Irish  in,  43; 

Canadians    in,    46;    English    in, 

50;   British  in,  257 
Blackburn    (England),    James   B. 

Close  at,  69 
Blackwell,  J.  H.,  membership   of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  282 
Blackwell,  W.  F.,  membership  of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  282 
Blair    (Nebraska),   polo    club    or- 
ganized   at,    203;    mention    of, 

287 
Blake,    Mr.,    part    of,    in    paper 

chase,  188 
Blizzards,  reference  to,  91;   sheep 

lost  in,  134 
Blomefield,    M.,    horse    owned   by, 

198;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 

Club,  282 
Bloodgood,  John,  purchase  of  land 

from,  68,  69,  71 
Bloomington   (see  Muscatine) 
Bloomington  ( Illinois  ) ,  land  bought 

from  speculators  in,  101 
Blunt,    W.    M.,    horse    owned    by, 

198 


298 


INDEX 


Boat  races,  holding   of,  202,  203 

(see  also  Rowing) 
Boats,  loading  of,  21 
Bohemians,   number   of,  in   Iowa, 

257 
Bolton,    J.    H.,    presence    of,    at 

dance,  227 
Boone  Coxinty,  Scotch  in,  48 ;  Eng- 
lish in,  50 
Boonesboro,  Scotch  in,  48 
Bower,  A.,  arrival  of,  in  Iowa,  161 
Boyesen,  A.,  land  owned  by,  269 
Braddon,    H.   L.,    church   services 

conducted  by,  241 
Bradley,    C.    C,    acknowledgment 

to,  11 
Bradley,  B.  E.,  paper  edited  by, 

218 
Brasenose  College,  clergyman  from, 

238,  239 
Breaking,    cost   of,    63,   66,    126; 

rapidity  of,  64,  123;  advantage 

of,  66;   importance  of,  83,  84; 

work  of,  121 ;  contracts  for,  124 
Brick  block,  erection  of,  174 
Bricks,  making  of,  175 
Bridson,    W.    P.,    advantages    of 

Iowa  pointed  out  by,  92 
Briggs,  H.  E.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  282 
Briggs,  W.  C,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  282 
Bright,  John,  conference  of  Wm. 

B.  Close  with,  141 
Bristol   (England),  literature  dis- 
tributed in,  36 
Bristowe,   L.   H.,    membership   of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  282 
British,   immigration    of,    10,    11; 

advantages    of    Iowa   described 

to,  19,  20;  number  of,  in  Iowa, 


32,  42-53,  288,  289 ;  adaptability 
of,  53;  land  owned  by,  116, 
117;  naturalization  of,  216; 
political  affiliations  of,  216;  dis- 
appearance of,  from  northwest- 
ern Iowa,  245-252;  names  de- 
rived from,  252  (see  also  Eng- 
lish) 

British-Americans,  number  of,  in 
Iowa,  32,  45-47 

British  colonies,  circulation  of 
Iowa  publicity  articles   in,   170 

British  colony  (see  English  colony) 

British  Isles,  immigrants  to,  7; 
emigration  from,  33;  dissemina- 
tion of  literature  in,  34;  size 
of,  117;  burials  in,  248;  return 
of  colonists  to,  248 

British  Land  and  Mortgage  Com- 
pany, land  owned  by,  268 

British  Working  Men's  Associa- 
tion, correspondent  of,  30 

Brockbank,  J.  C,  commission 
business  of,  174;  interest  of,  in 
cricket,  190,  191;  trip  of,  to 
England,  230;  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Brodie,  F.  G.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Brodie,  M.  F.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Broken  Kettle,  mine  at,  183; 
cricket  practice  at,  190 

Brooks,  Sir  William  Cunliffe,  busi- 
ness of,  69 

Brown,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  football 
game,  207 

Buchanan,  Jennie,  presence  of,  at 
dance,  227 

Buchanan  County,  Irish  in,  43; 
Canadians  in,  46 


INDEX 


299 


Buckinghamshire,  Earl  of,  mention 
of,  166,  248,  249 

Buckland,  J.  B.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Bull,  John,  mention  of,  184,  200 

Bunker  Hill,  mention  of,  211 

Burlington,  need  of  skilled  labor 
in,  26;  Irish  in,  42;  English  in, 
49 

Bumside,  E.  F.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Burton,  A.  G.  T.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Bushnell,  J.  P.,  pamphlet  pub- 
lished by,  40 

Business,  opportunities  for,  149, 
167;  account  of,  in  English 
colony,  174-177 

Butler  County,  Canadians  in,  46; 
English  in,  50 

Butter,  awards  made  on,  39;  pro- 
duction of,   39,  135,  136 

C.  R.  AND  Land  Company,  land 
owned  by,  268 

Cadets,  mention  of,  74,  90 

Caleb,  ihention  of,  172 

California,  waste  of  wheat  in,  70; 
burial  in,  248 

Calliope,  Episcopalians  at,  243; 
mention  of,  287 

Camanehe,  mention  of,  30 

Cambridge  University,  Close  broth- 
ers at,  57;  graduates  of,  at 
Le  Mars,  139,  274;  incident  con- 
cerning, 239;  representative  of, 
249 

Cambridge  University  Boat  Club, 
presidents  of,  57 

Campbell,  Mr,,  part  of,  in  paper 
chase,  188 


Campbell,  John,  marriage  of,  233 
Campbell,    W.    McOran,   farm   of, 

136;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 

Club,  282 
Canada,  emigrants  to,  23;   butter 

exported   from,   39;   wheat  pro- 
duced in,  39;  trip  through,  60; 

objections    to,     60,     157;     land 

titles    in,    83;    English   resident 

in,  92;   visitors  from,  229 
Canadian  Mounted  Police,  member 

of,  248 
Canadians,   number    of,    in    Iowa, 

45-47,  51,  52,  290 
Canals,  construction  of,  70,  71 
Canton  (South  Dakota),  land  pur- 
chased near,  106 
Cape  May  (England),  mention  of, 

258 
Capital,    amount    of,    needed    for 

English  settlers,  20,  21,  79,  80; 

investment    of,    98;    profit    on, 

130;  lack  of,  184 
CarUn,   Lord,    visit    of,    to   Iowa, 

229 
Carlton  stock  farm,  description  of, 

136 
Carmichael,  F.,  part  of,  in  "tug 

of  war",  208;  part  of,  in  polo 

match,  208 
Carmichael,  J.  M.  G.,  membership 

of,  in  Prairie  Club,  282 
Carroll   Herald,   mention  of,   110, 
Carter,  H.,  reference  to,  262 

111 
Carter,  H.  E.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  282 
Carver,     F.,     membership    of,    in 

Prairie  Club,  282 
Carver,  J.  F.,  part  of,  in  tennis 

tournament,  208 


300 


INDEX 


Cass  County  (North  Dakota),  land 
bought  in,  259 

Castle  Garden  (New  York  City), 
mention  of,  33 

Catholicism,  spread  of,  in  Iowa,  35 

Cattle,  number  of,  132;  range 
feeding  of,  135;  kinds  of,  136, 
137,  138 

Cedar  County,  Irish  in,  43 

Cedar  Rapids,  Irish  at,  42;  Cana- 
dians at,  46;  English  at,  49 

Centennial  Committee,  quarters 
provided  by,  57,  58 

Centennial  of  1879,  regatta  at, 57, 58 

Center  Township  (Clinton  Coun- 
ty), people  in,  30 

Cerro  Gordo  County,  Canadians  in, 
46;  English  in,  50 

Chamberlin,  R.  F.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Chapman,  Montague  J.,  insurance 
business  of,  174,  175;  office  of, 
184;  share  of,  in  organization 
of  the  Prairie  Club,  222;  men- 
tion of,  226,  228;  speech  by, 
231 ;  western  trip  of,  232 ; 
marriage  of,  232;  residence  of, 
248;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 
Club,  282 

Chapman,  Mrs.  M.  J.,  presence  of, 
at  picnic,  228;  western  trip  of, 
232 

Chariton,  mention  of,  35 

Cheese,  awards  made  on,  39 

Cheltenham  (England),  literature 
distributed  in,  36;  mention  of, 
150 

Cherokee,  number  of  people  from, 
196;  polo  club  at,  203;  mission 
church  at,  243,  244;  burial  at, 
248;  population  of,  260 


Cherokee  County,  Canadians  in, 
46;  purchase  of  land  in,  by 
Close  brothers,  68,  71;  railroad 
in,  72;  description  of,  88; 
population  of,  260;  British  in, 
289 

Chicago  (Illinois),  amount  of  com 
at,  39;  cost  of  transporting 
grain  from,  70,  71;  market  at, 
72,  148;  journey  to,  103;  office 
of  Close  brothers  at,  114;  sale 
of  wool  at,  134;  comment  by 
paper  of,  on  English  colony, 
167;  trains  from,  194;  horse 
races  mentioned  in  press  of, 
196;  races  at,  201;  burial  at, 
248 

Chicago  and  Great  Western  Rail- 
road, financing  of,  277 

Chicago  and  Northwestern  Rail- 
road, sites  for  station  selected 
by,  30,  290,  291 ;  route  of,  101 ; 
coming  of,  to  Iowa,  121 

Chicago  Herald,  letter  in,  154 

Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul 
Railroad,  coming  of,  to  Iowa, 
72;  claim  of,  to  land,  104,  265; 
purchase  of  land  from,  113 

Chickasaw  County,  Irish  in,  43 

Chiene,  Hugh  C.  P.,  reference  to, 
263 

Chiene,  Hugh  Lyon  Playfair, 
marriage  of,  233 

Chiene,  J.  D.,  part  of,  in  football 
game,  205,  206,  207 

Children,  occupations  for,  25 

China,  175,  230 

Christian,  H.  C,  part  of,  in  foot- 
ball game,  206,  207;  presence 
of,  at  picnic,  228;  western  trip 
of,     232;     residence     of,    247; 


INDEX 


301 


membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 
282 

Churches,  activities  of,  among 
English   colonists,   237-244 

Civil  War,  mention  of,  23;  immi- 
gration during,  33 

Clarke,  G.  A.  C,  lumber  yard  of, 
177;  residence  of,  247;  member- 
ship of,  in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Clarkson,  A.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Clayton  County,  Irish  in,  43 

Cleveland,  Welsh  in,  45 

Clifton,  W.  H.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Climate,  description  of,  91,  127, 
147,  170 

Clinton,  associations  at,  30;  Irish 
at,  42;  Canadians  at,  46;  Eng- 
lish at,  49 

Clinton  County,  county  seat  of, 
29;  Irish  in,  43;  Canadians  in, 
46;  English  in,  50;  British  in, 
257 

Close,  Frederick  Brooks,  coming 
of,  to  Virginia,  57,  58,  60,  62; 
purchase  of  land  in  Iowa  by, 
59-62,  68-71 ;  farming  operations 
of,  63-67;  statement  by,  on  pro- 
hibition, 110,  111 ;  withdrawal 
of,  from  firm,  114;  death  of, 
119,  203;  farm  of,  132;  farm 
pupils  aided  by,  143;  marriage 
of,  167,  233,  234;  part  of,  in 
paper  chase,  188;  horse  owned 
by,  197,  198;  interest  of,  in 
races,  199,  200,  208;  invitation 
of,  to  club,  201;  interest  of,  in 
polo,  203,  208;  part  of,  in  foot- 
ball game,  205,  206,  207;  part 
of,  in  "tug  of  war",  208;  pres- 


ence of,  at  picnic,  228;  mem- 
bership of,  in  Prairie  Club,  282 ; 
interest  of,  in  hunting,  291  (see 
also  Close  brothers) 
Close,  Mrs.  Fred  B.,  death  of  hus- 
band witnessed  by,  203;  sisters 
of,  286  (see  also  Humble,  Mar- 
garet) 
Close,     J.,     membership     of,     in 

Prairie  Club,  282 
Close,    J.    H.,   membership   of,    in 

Prairie  Club,  282 
Close,  James  Brooks,  interest  of, 
in  rowing,   57,   58;    coming  of, 
to  Iowa,  69;  statement  by,  con- 
cerning organization  of  firm,  80, 
81,  99,  100;  offices  of,  102,  114; 
Iowa  Land  Company  in  charge 
of,  106;  death  of,  119;  farm  of, 
132;  farm  pupils  aided  by,  143; 
marriage    of,    189,    286;    ^lorse 
owned   by,    199;    race    won   by, 
200 ;   part  of,  in  athletic  meet, 
201;  college  of,  273,  274;  letter 
to,   285;    letter   from,   286    (see 
also  Close  brothers) 
Close,  John  Brooks,  interest  of,  in 
rowing,  57,  58;   business  career 
of,  69,  70;  death  of,  119;  visit 
of,  to  Iowa,  229,  259,  260   (see 
also  Close  brothers) 
Close,    William    Brooks,    acknowl- 
edgment to,  13;  interest  of,  in 
rowing,  57,  58,  75;  acquaintance 
of,  with  Daniel  Paullin,  58,  59; 
engagement  of,  59;  purchase  of 
land  in  Iowa  by,  59-62,  68-71; 
reasons  for  investment  in  Iowa 
given   by,    60;    farming    opera- 
tions of,   63-67,   131,  132,   239; 
comment  by,   on  farmers'   pro- 


302 


INDEX 


fits,  70;  advertisements  of  Iowa 
sent  to  England  by,  75,  76; 
letters  of,  concerning  Iowa,  77; 
marriage  of,  to  Mary  PauUrn, 
77,  233,  285;  recommenda- 
tion of,  94;  statement  of,  rela- 
tive to  purchase  of  land,  101; 
tour  conducted  by,  103;  offices 
of,  114;  present  location  of, 
119;  sheep  raising  described  by, 
133,  134;  interest  of,  in  blood- 
ed stock,  138;  conference  of, 
with  John  Bright,  141;  account 
of  farm  pupil  system  given  by, 
142-144;  horse  owned  by,  198, 
199;  trip  of,  to  England,  228; 
return  of,  to  England,  248; 
letters  of,  257,  258,  259;  col- 
lege of,  273,  274;  pamphlet  of, 
275;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 
Club,  282 ;  letter  from,  288  (see 
also  Close  brothers) 

Close,  Mrs.  Wm.  B.,  trip  of,  to 
England,  228  (see  also  Paullin, 
Mary) 

Close,  Benson  and  Company,  firm 
of,  102;   dissolution  of,  114 

Close  brothers,  purchase  of  land 
by,  74,  75,  120,  121,  122;  num- 
ber of  farms  owned  by,  75,  76, 
127;  profits  of,  76;  agreement 
of,  with  transportation  lines, 
78;  advice  offered  by,  78,  79; 
organization  of,  80;  land  busi- 
ness of,  81;  money  loaned  by, 
81,  82;  advice  offered  by,  to 
English  emigrants,  82,  83,  84, 
85,  86;  advantages  of,  in  buy- 
ing land  and  materials,  84,  85; 
commission  charged  by,  85,  86; 
farm    pupils    of,    85,    86,    141, 


142,  143,  144,  153;  efforts  of, 
to  advertise  Iowa,  87-93,  113, 
114,  168,  169 ;  land  managed  by, 
105;  reputation  of,  106,  107; 
discussion  as  to  effect  of  pro- 
hibitory amendment  on,  110, 
111;  warning  of,  concerning 
drunkenness,  111,  112;  later 
history  of,  113-119;  land  owned 
by,  116;  Kansas  Land  Com- 
pany organized  by,  117,  118; 
contribution  of,  to  agriculture, 
120-128;  improvements  made  by, 
123;  trees  planted  by,  125,  126; 
success  of,  in  securing  tenants, 
126,  127;  stewards  employed  by, 
128,  174;  farming  activities  of, 
129-131,  174;  criticism  of,  143, 
144;  entertainments  by,  194, 
226,  227;  horses  owned  by,  200; 
visits  of,  to  Iowa,  230,  231; 
plans  of,  256;  names  of,  258; 
syndicate  represented  by,  269; 
towns  platted  by,  291  (see  also 
Close  Brothers  and  Company) 
Close  Brothers  and  Company,  man- 
ager of,  12;  loss  of  records  of, 
12;  decision  of,  to  locate,  95; 
services  of,  95;  hotel  purchased 
by,  96;  praise  given  to,  97,  98; 
land  owned  by,  99;  business  of, 
99,  100;  contract  made  with, 
100;  change  of  name  of,  102; 
taxes  of,  107;  formation  of, 
114;  western  lands  purchased 
by,  118;  farm  loan  business 
done  by,  118;  irrigation  pro- 
ject of,  118,  119;  railroad  built 
by,  119;  managers  of,  263;  of- 
fices of,  263,  264,  267  (see  also 
Close  brothers) 


INDEX 


303 


Close  colony,  advice  for  new- 
comers to,  82,  83,  84,  85,  86; 
description  of,  129-140;  remain- 
ing members  of,  247,  248  (see 
also  English  colony) 

Clowes,  Mr.,  services  of,  on  cricket 
team,  191 

Clowes,  Harry,  part  of,  in  cricket 
game,  192 

Clowes,  S.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,   282 

Clowes,  W.,  horse  owned  by,  200 

Clowes,  W.  L.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Coach  horn,  losing  of,  188 

Coaching  (see  Tally-ho  riding) 

Coal,  supply  of,  in  northwestern 
Iowa,  89;  finding  of,  in  Iowa, 
178-186 

Cobbe,  Leuric  Charles,  soap  fac- 
tory of,  175,  176;  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Cobden,  Frank  C,  stallion  pur- 
chased by,  138;  partnership 
with,  174;  block  built  by,  222; 
return  of,  to  England,  248 

Cobden  Club,  honorary  secretary 
of,  139;  president  of,  166 

Cock  fights,  holding  of,  187,   188 

Coke,  R.  G.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Cold  weather,  disadvantage  of,  91 

Colebank,  S.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Coleridge,  Samuel  Taylor,  quota- 
tion from,  254,  255 

Colfax  County  (New  Mexico), 
232 

CoUedge,  A.  J.,  part  of,  in  foot- 
ball game,  207;  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  282 


CoUedge,   A.  R.,   boat  race  with, 

202 
CoUedge,  Alfred  Currie,  farm  of, 
137;  interest  of,  in  blooded 
stock,  137,  138;  business  in- 
terests of,  177;  services  of,  on 
cricket  team,  191;  part  of,  in 
athletic  meet,  201;  boat  race 
with,  202;  return  of,  to  Eng- 
land, 202,  203;  part  of,  in  polo 
match,  203,  204;  part  of,  in 
footbaU  game,  205,  206,  207; 
part  of,  in  "tug  of  war",  208; 
part  of,  in  tennis  tournament, 
208;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 
Club,  222,  282;  songs  by,  231; 
western"  trip  of,  232;  residence 
of,  247 

CoUins,  J.  Victor,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  282 

ColUns,  L.  H.,  part  of,  in  athletic 
meet,  201;  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Colony  Sketch,  The,  establishment 
of,  217;  features  of,  217,  218 

Colony  song,  words  of,  249-251 

Colorado,  pioneer  conditions  in, 
88;  irrigation  project  in,  118 

Colpoys,  Adair  G.,  acknowledg- 
ment to,  11,  277;  business  in 
charge  of,  177;  trip  of,  to  Iowa, 
229;  residence  of,  247;  Rugby 
colony  visited  by,  275,  276; 
membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 
282 

Colston,  A,  Vaughan,  service  of, 
as  clergyman,  241,  242;  mem- 
bership of,  in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Colton,  J.  H.,  book  published  by, 
253 

** Columbus",   saiUng   of,  28 


304 


INDEX 


Columbus  City  Township  (Louisa 
County),  Welsh  in,  45 

Commercial  Hotel,  purchase  of,  96 

Commission,  charge  of,  by  Close 
brothers,  85,  86 

Commission  business,  English  en- 
gaged in,  174,  175 

Congress,  bill  concerning  alien 
ownership  of  land  introduced  in, 
117 

Constitution  of  Iowa,  prohibition 
amendment  to,  109,  214,  215 

Cook  and  Sargent,  arrangements 
with,  28 

Cooper,  J.  C,  trip  of,  to  England, 
230;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 
Club,  282;  letter  from,  286 

Cope,  Herbert,  farms  of,  137;  tea 
business  of,  175;  newspapers  do- 
nated by,  216;  guest  of,  229; 
trip  of,  to  England,  230;  resi- 
dence of,  247,  248 

Corbett,  H.  E.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Corkery,  C.  E.,  office  of,  183 

Com,  amount  of,  raised  in  Iowa, 
39;  burning  of,  for  fuel,  70; 
growing  of,  76 

Com  huskers,  need  of,  96 

Com  Laws,  repeal  of,  21 

Comcribs,  building  of,  123 

Comhill  Street,  London,  office  of 
Wm.  B.  Close  on,  77,  102 

Cornish,  Miss,  presence  of,  at 
dance,  227 

Correctionville,  English  farm  near, 
137 

Cotswold  sheep,  raising  of,  132, 
133,  134 

Council  Bluffs,  Irish  at,  42,  43; 
Canadians  at,  46 ;  Scotch  at,  48 ; 


English  at,  49;   races  at,  201; 
polo  club  at,  203 

Counties,  Irish  in,  42,  43;  Welsh 
in,  44;  Canadians  in,  46;  Bri- 
tish in,  289 

Courage,  H.  M.,  membership .  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Court,  W.  Roylance,  Jr.,  Iowa 
recommended  by,  92;  farm  of, 
131,  132;  return  of,  to  Eng- 
land, 248;  reference  to,  262 

Cow  ponies,  use  of,  in  polo,  203 

Cowan,  J.  I.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Cowan,  W.  B.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Crawford  County,  Irish  in,  43; 
purchase  of  land  in,  by  Close 
brothers,  59-62,  121;  report  of 
farm  in,  66,  67;  impossibility 
of  buying  land  in,  68;  land  in, 
105;  sheep  raising  in,  133; 
value  of  land  in,  264 

Crawley,  Mr.,  absence  of,  from 
game,  205 

Crawley,  E.  M.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Crayon,  Christopher,  article  by, 
255 

Crescent  Park  (Sioux  City),  polo 
played  at,  203,  204 

Cricket,  interest  in,  146,  190,  191, 
192,  193,  194,  202,  208,  209 

Cricket  Club,  organization  of, 
190 ;  equipment  stolen  from,  193 

Croft,  Mr.,  services  of,  in  cricket 
game,  193,  209 

Croft,  G.  B.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Cromwell,  Oliver,  town  named  for 
son-in-law  of,  290 


INDEX 


305 


Crops,  division  of,  65,  76 

Cumberhatch,  L.  T.,  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Cunningham,  Herbert  Noel,  mem- 
orial address  by,  234;  service 
of,  as  clergyman,  238,  '239; 
school  of,  239,  240;  marriage 
of,  240;  church  paper  published 
by,  241;  resignation  of,  241; 
membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 
282;  letter  from,  286;  mention 
of,  287 

Curtis,  Mr.,  farm  of,  181 

Dacres,  Charles  E.,  part  of,  in 
paper  chase,  188;  comment  by, 
214,  215;  advice  of,  217;  papers 
edited  by,  217,  218,  219,  220; 
arrest  of,  219;  career  of,  219, 
220;  place  of,  in  Prairie  Min- 
strels, 223,  224;  death  of 
father  of,  235;  reply  to,  281; 
death  of,  281;  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Dacres,  Mrs.  Charles  E.,  mention 
of,  219,  220 

Dacres,  Sir  Sidney  Colpoys,  son 
of,  166;   death  of,  235 

Dairying,  products  of,  39;  in- 
terest of  English  settlers  in, 
135,    136 

Dakota,  proposed  removal  of 
British  to,  246  (see  also  North 
Dakota  and  South  Dakota) 

DalrjTnple,  Oliver,  farming  plan 
of,  64,  65,  105 

Dalrymple,  William,  father  of,  259 

Dalton,  Ed,  acknowledgment  to, 
11,  277,  280,  288;  part  of, 
in  polo  match,  204 


Dalton,  H.  J.  M^  trip  of,  to  Eng- 
land, 230 

Dalton,  Herbert,  death  of,  234; 
funeral  of,  286 

Dalton,  P.  !F.,  presence  of,  at 
dance,  227 

Dalton,  Mrs.  P.  F.,  presence  of, 
at  dance,  227 

Dalton,    bank    at,    176 

Dances,  holding  of,  226,  227 

Danes,  migration  of,  7,  52 

Davenport,  need  of  skilled  labor 
at,  26;  arrival  at,  28;  road  to, 
29;  Irish  at,  42;  Canadians  at, 
46;  Scotch  at,  48;  English  at, 
49 

Davenport  district  court,  decision 
of,  on  prohibitory  amendment, 
214,  215 

Davidson,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  cricket 
game,  191,  192 

Davis,  Miss,  presence  of,  at  dance, 
227 

Dawson,  J.,  boat  race  with,  202 

Dawson,  S.  B.  M.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Dawson,  W.  B.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Deakin,  Howard  F.,  law  practice 
of,  176 

Dealtry,  Tom  H.,  business  of, 
177;  services  of,  on  cricket 
team,  191,  193;  share  of,  in  or- 
ganization of  the  Prairie  Club, 
222,  282;   residence  of,  247 

Deaths,  account  of,  at  English 
colony,  234,  235 

Deeds,  recording  of,  83 

Deer,  hunting  of,  89 

Delaware    County,    Irish    in,   43; 


306 


INDEX 


Canadians   in,   46;    English   in, 

50;  British  in,  257 
Democratic    party,    affiliation    of 

English  with,  218 
De   Moleyns,    E.,    farm   of,    146; 

membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 

283 
De    Mores,    Marquis,    amount    of 

land  owned  by,  116 
Dempsey,   Basil,  suicide  of,  235; 

reference  to,  262 
Denison,  residence  of  Close  broth- 
ers at,  63 
Dent,  Lady,  son  of,  137 
Dent,  Alfred  Bobert  Tighe,  bank 

building  of,  95;  farm  of,  137; 

part   of,  in   tennis  tournament, 

208;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 

Club,    222,    282;    marriage    of, 

233;  residence  of,  248 
Dent,    W.    H.,    invitation    of,    to 

dance,  227 
Dent,  Mrs.  "W.  H.,  presence  of,  at 

dance,  227 
Denton-Cardew,    W.    P.,    trip    in 

charge  of,  232 
De   Paullins,  mention   of    family 

of,  258 
De   Pledge,   Aimee,    marriage    of, 

to  M,  J.  Chapman,  232 
De    Pledge,    H.    Grey,    Iowa    rec- 
ommended by,  92;  western  trip 

of,    232;     reference    to,     262; 

membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 

283 
Derby,  holding  of,  194,  199,  207, 

208,  209 
Des    Moines,    Irish    at,    42,    43; 

Welsh  at,  45;  Canadians  at,  46; 

Scotch  at,  48;   English  at,  49; 

Close  brothers  at,  59 


Des  Moines  County,  Irish  in,  43; 
English  in,  50 

Des  Moines  Township  (Mahaska 
County),  Welsh  in,  45 

Des  Moines  Valley,  coal  in,  179 

Desmoulins,  Mr,,  presence  of,  at 
picnic,  228 

De  Witt,  land  purchased  near,  29 

Dickinson  County,  purchase  of 
land  in,  116 

Dinwoodie,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  cricket 
game,  192 

Doctors,  number  of,  in  Iowa,  89 

Dodsworth,  F.  C.  S.,  part  of,  in 
paper  chase,  188;  horse  ridden 
by,  199;  trip  of,  to  England, 
230;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 
Club,  282 

Dodsworth,  M.  B.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  222,  282 

Dorset  (England),  clergymanfrom 
237 

Douglass,  James,  services  of,  on 
cricket  team,  191;  part  of,  in 
tennis  tournament,  208;  place 
of,  in  Prairie  Minstrels,  223; 
membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 
282 

Dowglass,  Andrew,  marriage  of, 
233 

Dowglass,  Tom,  part  of,  in  **tug 
of  war",  208;  trip  of,  to  Eng- 
land, 230;  burial  place  of,  248; 
membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 
283 

Downing,  G.  C,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  282 

Downs,  sheep  raising  on,  89 

Drake,  E.  F.,  invitation  of,  100 

Drake,  Henry  H.,  acknowledg- 
ment to,  13,  277,  278,  280,  288; 


INDEX 


307 


business  of,  177;  part  of,  in 
polo  match,  203,  204;  part  of, 
in  cricket  match,  209;  residence 
of,  247;  college  of,  273;  mem- 
bership of,  in  Prairie  Club,  282 ; 
marriage  of,  288 

Drill,  description  of,  181 

Dromore  Farm,  description  of, 
132,  133;  coal  discovered  on, 
180,  181,  182,  185;  first  meet- 
ing of  Prairie  Club  at,  222 

Dublin  University,  graduate  from, 
243 

Dubuque,  need  of  skilled  labor  at, 
26;  stage  route  to,  28,  29; 
Irish  dissatisfaction  expressed 
through  diocese  of,  34,  35 ;  Irish 
at,  42;  Canadians  at,  46;  Scotch 
at,  48;  English  at,  49;  English 
colony  described  in  newspaper 
of,  164-166;  death  of  Daniel 
Paullin  at,  285 

Dubuque  County,  Irish  in,  43; 
Canadians  in,  46 ;  Scotch  in,  48 ; 
English  in,  50;   British  in,  257 

Dubuque  Emigrant  Association,  in- 
fluence of,  33 

Ducie,  Earl  of,  death  of,  274 

Ducie,  Lord,  brother  of,  139,  140, 
146,  148,  166,  179 

Ducks,  shooting  of,  89 

Duff,  W.  G.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Dumbartonshire  (Scotland),  im- 
migrant from,  136 

Dun,  Finlay,  et  al,  land  owned 
by,  116 

Duncan,  C.  M.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  282 

Dundas,  S.,  part  of,  in  "tug  of 
war",  208 


Dundee  (Scotland),  literature  dis- 
tributed in,  36 

Dunlop,  K,  D.,  partnership  of,  in 
Iowa  Land  Company,   115 

Dunmore,  Earl  of,  mention  of,  229 

Dunmore,  Lord,  land  owned  by, 
268 

Dunn,  P.  J.,  letter  of,  relative  to 
jubilee,  280 

Dunraven,  Lord,  land  owned  by, 
268 

Dunwaters,  A.  G.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Dunwaters,  Alexander  W.,  death 
of,  235 

Dutch,  presence  of,  in  Iowa,  17, 
257;  representation  of,  on  im- 
migration board,  34;  farms 
rented  by,  127,  128;  effects  of 
settlements  of,  252;  immigra- 
tion of,  272  (see  also  Holland- 
ers) 

Dykema,  Harry,  sketch  of  life  of, 
271,  272 

Dykema,  Mello,  sketch  of  life  of, 
271,  272 

East  Orange  (see  Alton) 
Eccles,  Mr.,  absence  of,  from  din- 
ner, 225 
Eccles,  C.  H.,  place  of,  in  Prairie 

Minstrels,  223;   membership  of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  283 
Eccles,  P.  C,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  283 
Eden,    Mr.,    horse    ridden    by,   in 

race,  199 
Eden  Township  (Clinton  County), 

people  in,  30 
Edgecomb,  William,  marriage  of, 

233 


308 


INDEX 


Edgell,  W.  F.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Edginton,  Edward  T.,  appoint- 
ment of,  on  commission,  34; 
work  of,  in  Liverpool,  35,  36; 
report  of,  to  legislature,  36,  37; 
salary  of,  37 

Edinburgh  (Scotland),  literature 
distributed  in,  36 

Edinburgh  Scotsman,  libel  suit 
against,  153,  154 

Edinburgh  University,  graduate 
of,  176 

Editor,  attempt  to  horse  whip, 
211,  212,  213 

Edsell,  W.,  arrival  of,  in  Iowa, 
161 

Education,  provision  for,  in  north- 
western Iowa,  89 

Elections,  English  comment  on, 
215,  216 

Elkhom  Township  (Plymouth 
County),  purchase  of  land  in, 
by  Close  brothers,  68;  farm  in, 
285 

EUer,  Messrs.,  farm  of,  146 

Eller,  Charles,  soap  factory  of, 
175,  176;  horse  owned  by,  197; 
membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 
222,  283;  trip  of,  to  England, 
230;  western  trip  of,  232 

EUer,  Harry,  part  of,  in  tennis 
tournament,  208;  burial  place 
of,  248 ;  reference  to,  262 ;  mem- 
bership of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Eller,  J.,  reference  to,  262;  mem- 
bership of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Ellerhauser,  M.,  land  owned  by, 
269 

Elliott,  F.  N.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 


Elliott,  Guy  P.,  part  of,  in  "tug 
of  war",  208;  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Elliott,  N.  L.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Elm  Grove  Township  (Louisa 
County),  Welsh  in,  45 

Elsham,  description  of,  138 

Emery,  Colonel,  address  by,  224- 
226 

Emigrant  societies,  forming  of, 
20,  28 

Emigrant  trains,  cost  of  travel  by, 
78 

Emigrants,  guides  for,  19,  77,  78, 
79,  82-93;  equipment  of,  20,  21; 
errors  made  by,  21;  disappoint- 
ment of,  22;  number  of,  in 
Iowa,  32 ;  destination  of,  33 ; 
interest  of,  in  Iowa,  36,  37 

Emigration,  reasons  for,  8;  books 
on,  18,  19,  23,  24,  36,  37;  need 
of,  in  England,  24,  25 

England,  emigration  from,  24,  25, 
94,  95,  96,  265;  literature  on 
Iowa  distributed  in,  34,  87-93; 
lack  of  opportunities  in,  74,  75, 
76,  77,  158-160;  trip  of  Wm. 
B.  Close  to,  77;  exchange  with, 
81 ;  payment  of  commission  in, 
85;  downs  of,  89;  advertise- 
ments in,  of  agricultural 
schemes,  90;  money  borrowed 
in,  118;  price  of  wool  in,  134; 
Le  Mars  newspaper  sent  to, 
163;  visit  of  colonists  to,  228, 
230;  return  of  colonists  to,  246, 
247,  248,  249 

English,  number  of,  in  Iowa,  32, 
48-53,  148,  149,  165,  166,  167, 
168,  289,  290;  headquarters  for, 


INDEX 


309 


69,  72-76;  investment  of,  in 
Iowa  land,  69,  74,  75,  82,  115- 
119,  131;  capital  needed  by, 
79,  80;  interest  of,  in  sheep 
raising,  88,  89;  farming  meth- 
ods of,  90;  Iowa  recommended 
by,  92,  93 ;  character  of,  94,  95 ; 
description  of,  at  Le  Mars,  94, 
95,  96,  161-166;  political  status 
of,  109,  110,  216,  246;  opinion 
of,  concerning  prohibition,  109- 
112,  214,  215;  drinking  among, 
112;  sports  of,  115;  debts  left 
by,  115;  immigration  of,  to 
Iowa,  129-140;  description  of 
farms  of,  144-147;  advertise- 
ments of,  for  farm  pupils,  147- 
151;  social  standards  of,  166, 
221;  relations  of,  with  Ameri- 
cans, 171,  213,  214,  215-220; 
business  interests  of,  in  Iowa, 
174-177;  saloons  for,  210-215; 
political  affiliations  of,  216 ;  club 
for,  222,  223,  224,  225;  wed- 
dings among,  232-234;  deaths 
among,  234,  235;  titles  of,  236, 
248,  249;  church  life  among, 
237-244;  disappearance  of,  from 
northwestern  Iowa,  245-252 ; 
burial  places  of,  248;  names  de- 
rived from,  252 
English  colony,  plans  for,  77,  79, 
81;  requirements  for,  85;  de- 
scription of,  129-140;  farm 
pupils  in,  141-156;  fame  of, 
161-173;  social  life  at,  221-236; 
number  in,  232;  song  of,  249- 
251  (see  also  Close  colony) 
English  flag,  raising  of,  215 
English  Jockey  Club,  meetings  of, 
200 


English     Land     Company,     land 

owned  by,  268 
English  papers,  description  of,  216 
English  syndicate,  land  owned  by, 

268,  269 
Episcopal  Church,  activities  of,  in 

Iowa,  237-244 
Epsom  Derby,  winner  of,  198 
Estherville,  mission  church  at,  244 
Euclid,  book  of,  mention  of,  182 
Europe,  migrations  in,  7 
Eustace,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  cricket 

match,  209 
Eustace,  J.  S.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  283 
Ewen,  Mr.,  presence  of,  at  picnic, 

228 
Exchange,  business  of,  80,  81 
Exeter  College    (Oxford),   gradu- 
ates of,  273 
Eykyn,  F.  B.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  283 

Fairbaien,  F.  E.,  membership  of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  283 
Falmouth,  Lord,  horse  raised  by, 

194 
Farm  buildings,  value  of,  269 
Farm  machinery,  value  of,  269 
Farm  property,  value  of,  269 
Farm  pupils  (see  Pupils,  farm) 
Farmers,  carelessness  of,  65;  pro- 
fits of,   70;   capital  needed  by, 
79,    80;    newcomers   taught   by, 
83,    84,    85,   86;    advertisements 
sent   to,    90;    comments  by,    on 
Iowa   soU,   93;    associations   of, 
172 
Farming,   plan   of   Close   brothers 
for,    63-67;     description    of,    in 
Iowa,    75-86;    methods    of,    90; 


310 


INDEX 


apprentices  in,  141-156;  interest 
of  English  in,  174 

Farming  in  North-Westem  Jovoa, 
distribution  of,  77;  information 
in,  77,  78 

Farms,  renting  of,  64;  money 
loaned  on,  82,  118;  number  of, 
for  rent,  126,  127;  names  of, 
133,  136,  137;  photographs  of, 
148 ;  advertisements  of,  147-151 ; 
terms  of  selling,  246 

Farquhar,  Admiral,  sons  of,  166; 
visits  of,  to  Iowa,  229 

Farquhar,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  cricket 
game,  191,  192;  horse  owned 
by,  198;  part  of,  in  football 
game,  205;  presence  of,  at  pic- 
nic, 228 

Farquhar,  Albert,  part  of,  in  ten- 
nis tournament,  208;  part  of,  in 
"tug  of  war",  208;  part  of,  in 
cricket  match,  209;  mention  of, 
229 ;  return  of,  to  England,  248 ; 
membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 
283 
•  Farquhar,  Charles,  mention  of, 
229;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 
Club,  283 

Farquhar,  J.,  part  of,  in  tennis 
tournament,  208 

Farquhar,  James,  mention  of,  229; 
membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 
283 

Farquhar,  Joseph,  part  of,  in  ten- 
nis tournament,  208;  mention 
of,  229;  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Farquhar,  Mowbray,  arrival  of,  in 
Iowa,  161;  part  of,  in  athletic 
meet,  201;  mention  of,  229; 
service  of,  in  Canadian  Mounted 


Police,  248;  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Farquhar,  William  R.,  coming  of, 
to  Iowa,  143;  part  of,  in  ten- 
nis tournament,  208;  mention 
of,  229;  residence  of,  248; 
membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 
283 

Fayette  County,  Irish  in,  43; 
Canadians  in,  46;  English  in, 
50;  British  in,  257 

Fenton,  James,  farm  of,  136;  in- 
terest of,  in  blooded  stock,  137, 
138;  mention  of,  148;  member- 
ship of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Fenton,  Mrs.  James,  butter  sold 
by,  135,  136 

Fenton,  James  S.,  letter  from,  286 

Fenton,  E.  O.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Ferris,  A.  B.,  oflSce  of,  as  man- 
ager, 183 

Ffoulkes,  S.  W.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Field  tourney,  holding  of,  201 

Figgis,  W.  W.,  part  of,  in  foot- 
ball game,  207;  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Fight,  description  of,  213,  214 

First  National  Bank  (St.  Paul), 
check  paid  to,  104 

Flax,  raising  of,  124 

Flax  mill,  need  of,  149 

Florence  (Kansas),  visit  of  Eng- 
lish to,  231 

Florida,  land  owned  in,  by  aliens, 
268,  269 

Flowers,  C.  A.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Floyd  County,  Canadians  in,  46 

Floyd  Farm,  sale  of,  136 


INDEX 


311 


Floyd  meat  market,  sale  of,  175 
Floyd  River,  valley  of,  179 
Floyd  sale  yard,  owner  of,  175 
Food,   description   of,   145,    170 
Football,    playing    of,    204,    205, 

206,  207 
Forest  City,  Welsh  at,  45 
Fort  Dodge,  Canadians  at,  46 
Fort    Madison,     need    of     skilled 

labor  at,  26 
Fourth    of    July,    celebration    of, 

215 
Fowler,    Mary,    marriage    of,    to 

William  Edgecomb,  233 
Fox    hunting,    opportunities    for, 

140 
"Foxhall",  race  won  by,  198 
France,  Le  Mars  newspaper  sent 

to,  163 
"Fred    Wilson",    prize   won    by, 

197 
Freight  rates,  70,  71 
French,  immigration  of,  10;  pres- 
ence of,  in  Iowa,  17;  desirabil- 
ity of,  95 
Frost,  Mr.,  business  interests  of, 

175 
Fuel,  use  of  com  as,  70;   supply 

of,    in    northwestern    Iowa,    89, 

178,  179 
Fullbrook,    E.    A.,   arrival    of,   in 

Iowa,    161;    residence    of,    247"; 

membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 

283 
Fullbrook,  E.,  arrival  of,  in  Iowa, 

161;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 

Club,  283 
Fulton,  A.  K.,  pamphlet  by,  34 

Games,    kinds    of,    introduced    by 
English,  187-209 


Gardner  (Massachusetts),  removal 

of  H.  N.  Cunningham  to,  ,241 
Garfield,    James    A.,    English   me- 
morial service  for,  234 
Garfield,  Mrs.  James  A.,  letter  to, 

286 
Garfield        Township        (Mahaska 

County),  Welsh  in,  45 
Garfield       Township       (Plymouth 
County),    purchase    of  land   in, 
by  Closes,  120,  121 
Gamett,    Mr.,    absence    of,    from 
game,  205;  banner  accepted  by, 
225 
Gamett,    Gerald,    farm    of,    137; 
services  of,   on  cricket   commit- 
tee, 190;  return  of,  to  England, 
248;  reference  to,  262;  member- 
ship of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 
Gamett,  Henry,  Iowa  recommend- 
ed by,  92 
Garrickdale  Farm,  137 
Gaskell,    Mr.,    part    of,    in    paper 
chase,  188,  189;  presence  of,  at 
picnic,  228 
Gaskell,  S.  W.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  283 
Gaskell,   Willie,   horse   ridden   by, 
198;    part   of,    in   polo    match, 
208;  reference  to,  262 
"Gateway",  169 
Gateway  team,  cricket  game  with, 

191,  192,  193,  205,  206,  207  • 
Gear,  John  H.,  attitude  of,  toward 

immigration,  37,  38 
Gee,  Arthur,  advantages  of  Iowa 
recognized  by,  92;  farm  of, 
137;  share  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 
222,  283;  removal  of,  from 
Iowa,  246,  247 
Geese,  shooting  of,  89 


312 


INDEX 


Genealogy,  interest  in,  9 

General  Assembly,  adoption  of 
prohibitory  amendment  by,   109 

Geoffrey,  R.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

German  syndicate,  land  owned  by, 
268 

Germans,  presence  of,  in  Iowa, 
17,  32,  52;  representation  of, 
on  immigration  board,  34;  de- 
sirability of,  53,  95,  112;  des- 
cription of,  165 

Germany,  emigrants  from,  7;  re- 
port of  American  consul  at, 
relative  to  immigration,  38;  Le 
Mars  newspaper  sent  to,  163; 
death  of  F.  E.  Romanes  in,  248 

Gibson,  A.  B.  C,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Gilbert  and  Sullivan,  play  by,  241 

Gillespie,  James  C,  acknowledg- 
ment to,  11,  12 

Gilman  Township  (Osceola  Coun- 
ty), houses  in,  123 

Gilmore,  William  G.,  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Gladstone,  W.,  steamship  agency 
of,  175;   money  won  by,  200 

Gladstone,  William  E.,  death  of, 
235;  town  named  for  home  of, 
290 

Glasgow  (Scotland),  literature  dis- 
tributed in,  36 

Globe,  The  (Le  Mars),  editor  of, 
219,   220 

Gloucester  (England),  literature 
distributed  in,  36 

Goewey,  Miss,  presence  of,  at 
dance,  227 

Goewey  Township  (Osceola  Coun- 
ty), houses  in,  123 


Golightly,  C.  H.,  part  of,  in 
cricket  game,  192;  part  of,  in 
athletic  meet,  201 ;  membership 
of,   in    Prairie    Club,    283 

Goths,  migration  of,  7 

Grace  Church  (Le  Mars),  wedding 
at,  233;  services  at,  237,  239; 
new  building  for,  240 

Graham,  Robert  G.  Maxtone,  pur- 
chase of  land  by,  71,  95;  Iowa 
recommended  by,  92;  part  of, 
in  cricket  match,  209;  reference 
to,  262 ;  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Grain,  cost  of  transportation  of, 
70,  71;  capital  needed  for  rais- 
ing of,  79,  80 

Granaries,  building  of,  123 

Grand  International  Hurdle  Race, 
holding  of,  200 

Grand  stand,  erection  of,  for 
races,  194 

Grant,  George,  land  owned  by, 
268 

Grant,  U.  S.,  memorial  service  for, 
241 

Granville,  Richard,  town  named 
for,  290 

Granville,  origin  of  name  of,  252 

Grasshoppers,  effect  of,  on  north- 
western Iowa,  68,  69,  73,  74,  91, 
120,  224 

Graves,  Samuel  Houghton,  firm 
joined  by,  267;  marriage  of, 
286 

Grayson,  J.  H.,  bricks  made  by, 
175;  horse  owned  by,  197;  place 
of,  in  Prairie  Minstrels,  223; 
presence  of,  at  picnic,  228;  trip 
of,  to  England,  230;  burial 
place  of,  248 ;  reference  to,  262 ; 


INDEX 


313 


membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 
283;  letter  from,  286 

Grazing,  opportunities  for,  135, 
150 

Great  Britain,  immigrants  from, 
23,  38,  151;  knowledge  of 
Le  Mars  in,  168,  169  (see  also 
England) 

Greene  County,  Irish  in,  43; 
Scotch  in,  48;  English  in,  50; 
British  in,  257 

Grenville   (see  Granville) 

Grey,  Algernon,  part  of,  in  foot- 
ball game,  206,  207;  member- 
ship of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Grotkin,  Mr.,  farm  of,  181 

Grouse,  Mr.,  services  of,  on 
cricket  team,  191 ;  horse  owned 
by,  197;  presence  of,  at  picnic, 
228 

Grouse,  Robert,  partnership  with, 
175;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 
Club,  283 

Grouse,  W.,  return  of,  to  England, 
246 

Groves,  need  of,  125 

Grundy,  John  S.,  death  of,  234 

Grundy  County,  Canadians  in,  46 

Guinness,  C,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Gunner,  H.  D.,  horse  owned  by, 
200;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 
Club,  283 

Gypsy  Hill  Farm,  137 

Hackett  and  Hynes,  farm  of, 
181 

Hail  Columbia  Stakes,  calling  of, 
197,  198 

Hamburg  Steamship  Line,  litera- 
ture disseminated  by,  34 


Hamburgh-London    market,    sheep 

for,  133 
Hanbury,   H.,   membership    of,   in 

Prairie  Club,  283 
Hanson,  S.  G,,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  283 
Harboard,  R.  A.,  membership  of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  283 
Harmon,    W.    D.,    song    composed 

by,   288 
Harper,  A.  E.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  283 
Harris,   Lady,   ^'isit   of,   to    Iowa, 

229 
Harris,    Lord,    mention    of,    146; 

visit  of,  to  Iowa,  191,  229 
Harrison,  R.  W.,  membership  of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  283 
Harrison       Township       (Mahaska 

County),  Welsh  in,  45 
Harvard  University,  Paullin  boys 

in,  61 
Harvey,  I.  A.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  283 
Hathaway,  H.  P.,  membership  of, 
.    in  Prairie  Club,  283 
Hawarden,     English    farm     near, 

137;    mission    church    at,    243; 

burial  at,  248;   origin  of  name 

of,  252,  290 
Hawks  Nest,  visitors  to,  229 
Hawtrey,    G.,    membership    of,   in 

Prairie  Club,  283 
Hawtrey,  H.,  part  of,  in  "tug  of 

war",  208 
Heap,     S.,     membership     of,     in 

Prairie  Club,  283 
Heeb,  J.  F.,  office  of,  183 
Heitland,   A.   R.,   membership    of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  283 
Heitland,  Percy,  reference  to,  262 


314 


INDEX 


Henley  (England),  rowing  club 
at,  202,  203 

Henslow,  G.  G.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Henry  Township  (Plj-mouth  Coun- 
ty), farm  in,  136 

"Herd  law",   advantage   of,  135 

Hereford  (England),  literature 
distributed  in,   36 

Hereford  cattle,  raising  of,  136 

Hewett,  C,  part  of,  in  football 
game,  206,  207 

Hewett,  D.,  place  of,  in  Prairie 
Minstrels,  224 

Hibernians,  mention  of,  164  (see 
also  Irish) 

Hiero,  crown  of,  183 

Higgins,  J,  E.,  church  services 
conducted  by,  241 

Hill,  E.  T.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Hill,  R.  G.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Hillyard,  Harry,  farm  of,  137; 
services  of,  on  cricket  commit- 
tee, 190;  trip  of,  to  England, 
230 ;  return  of,  to  England,  248 ; 
reference  to,  263;  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Hilton  Township  (Iowa  County), 
Welsh  in,  45 

Hirst,  Mr.,  presence  of,  at  picnic, 
228 

Hirst,  Mrs.,  presence  of,  at  picnic, 
228 

Hobart,  Lord,  interest  of,  in 
blooded  stock,  137,  138;  work 
of,  145 ;  coming  of,  to  Iowa, 
166;  boat  race  with,  202;  mem- 
bership of,  in  Prairie  Club,  222, 


283;  departure  of,  from  Iowa, 
230 ;  sister  of,  248 ;  title  of,  248 

Hogs,  raising  of,  39,  132,  133, 
136;  packing  plant  for,  175 

Hollanders,  farms  rented  by,  127, 
128;  description  of,  164,  165; 
effects  of  settlements  of,  252 
(see  also  Dutch) 

Holman  Township  (Osceola  Coun- 
ty), houses  in,  123 

Holstein,  farmers  from,  133 

"Home  Minstrels",  success  of, 
224 

Homesteads,  purchasing  of,  97 

Hoopes,  J,  W.,  mineral  rights 
leased  by,  181 

Hope,  J.,  part  of,  in  athletic  meet, 
201 

Hope,  J.  G.,  part  of,  in  football 
game,  207;  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Hopkinson,  John,  appointment  of, 
as  steward,  128,  174;  commis- 
sion business  of,  174;  visit  of, 
to  England,  228;  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Hornby,  Sir  Edward,  son  of,  234 

Hornby,  Hugh,  death  of,  234; 
funeral  of,  286 

Horsburgh,  Fred,  interest  of,  in 
cricket,  190,  191,  192;  place  of, 
in  Prairie  Minstrels,  224;  trip 
of,  to  England,  230;  reference 
to,  262;  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Horse  racing,  interest  of  English 
in,  138,  139,  193-201 

Horses,  training  of,  194 

Hospers,  Henry,  immigration  en- 
couraged by,  272 


INDEX 


315 


Hot  Springs  (Arkansas),  mention 
of,  175 

Hotel,  erection  of,  113 

Hotham,  Geo.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Houghton,  Lord,  land  owned  by, 
268 

"House  of  Commons",  naming 
of,  210 

"House  of  Lords",  cup  offered 
by,  200;  naming  of,  210;  criti- 
cism of,  210,  211,  213,  215; 
patronage  of,  213 

Houses,  description  of,  63,  122; 
cost  of,  63,  66,  84,  85;  building 
of,  65,  66,  113,  121,  122,  123, 
130 

Howard,  Lady,  visit  of,  to  Iowa, 
229 

Howard,  Reverend,  mention  of, 
287 

Howard,  F.  G.,  purchase  of  land 
by,  239 

Howard  County,  Irish  in,  43; 
Welsh  in,  44,  45 

Hughes,  Mrs.,  coming  of,  to  Ten- 
nessee, 275,  276 

Hughes,  Thomas,  book  by,  157; 
colony  founded  by,  157-160, 
275,  276 

Huguenots,  mention  of,  258 

Hulbert,  W.  G.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Humble,  Mr.,  presence  of,  at  pic- 
nic, 228 

Humble,  Mrs.,  presence  of,  at  pic- 
nic, 228 

Humble,  Margaret,  marriage  of, 
to  Frederick  B,  Close,  167,  189, 
233,  234 

Huns,  migration  of,  7 


Hunting,    opportunities    for,    140, 

148,  171,  189 
Hurds,  dinner  at,  192 
Hurle,  J.    C,   membership    of,    in 

Prairie  Club,  283 
Hyde,     E.,     membership     of,     in 

Prairie  Club,   283 

Ice  hockey,  playing  of,  201,  202 

Illinois,  immigrants  from,  17,  106; 
description  of,  19;  advantages 
of  settlers  in,  27,  28;  Wm.  B. 
Close  in,  61;  advertising  matter 
distributed  in,  114;  coal  from, 
179;  rank  of,  as  farming  State, 
269 

Hlinois  Central  Eailroad,  coming 
of,  to  Iowa,  72,  73;  relations  of 
Close  Brothers  with,  100 

Immigrants,  ancestry  of,  17;  ar- 
rival of,  at  Le  Mars,  94,  95, 
96;  efforts  of  Close  Brothers  to 
secure,  113,  114;  description  of, 
161-163;  return  of,  246,  247; 
desirability  of,  265;  equipment 
of,  276 

Immigration,  State  encouragement 
of,  32-41 ;  coming  of,  to  north- 
western Iowa,  73,  129-140;  in- 
crease of,  82;  effect  of  pro- 
hibition on,  214 

Immigration,  Commissioner  of, 
provision  for,  33;   salary  of,  38 

Immigration,  Iowa  State  Board  of, 
creation  of,  33;  publicity  of, 
33,  34,  37;  number  of  foreign- 
ers on,  34,  35;  financial  status 
of,  36 

Inchinnoch,   136 

Indian  Creek  Gazette,  The,  estab- 
lishment of,  217 


316 


INDEX 


Indiana,  immigrants  from,  17 

Indians,  home  of,  10;  part  of,  in 
Iowa  history,  10;  absence  of, 
from  Iowa,  87 

Insurance,  English  engaged  in, 
174,  175 

International  Dairy  Fair  (New 
York),  award  made  at,  39 

International  scurry,  holding  of, 
198,  199 

Inverness  (Scotland),  literature 
distributed  in,  36 

Iowa,  inquiries  of  citizens  of,  8, 
9;  immigration  to,  9,  10,  18,  73, 
129-140;  history  of,  10;  point- 
ing the  way  to,  17-31;  descrip- 
tions of,  19,  20,  23,  27,  28,  77- 
86;  need  of  emigrants  in,  26; 
advantages  of  settlers  in,  27, 
28;  population  of,  32;  official 
encouragement  of  immigration 
to,  32-41;  resources  of,  39,  75, 
76,  126,  127,  130,  131,  135,  178- 
186;  products  of,  39,  87,  88; 
emigration  from,  47;  coming  of 
Close  brothers  to,  58,  59,  61,  62 ; 
purchase  of  land  in,  by  Close 
brothers,  59-62,  68-71;  farming 
in,  63-67,  90;  corn  raising  in, 
76;  price  of  land  in,  81,  82; 
investments  of  English  in,  82, 
92,  93,  115,  116;  publicity  for, 
in  England,  87-93;  people  of, 
87,  88;  life  in,  87,  88,  148,  169, 
170;  railroads  in,  88;  physical 
geography  of,  88;  sheep  raising 
in,  88,  89;  fuel  in,  89;  climate 
of,  91,  170;  disadvantages  of, 
91,  157;  advertising  matter  dis- 
tributed in,  114;  visits  of  Eng- 
lish to,   235;    disappearance   of 


English  from,  245-252;  land 
owned  in,  by  aliens,  269;  rank 
of,  as  farming  State,  269; 
statistics  concerning  British  in, 
289 

Iowa,  Sketches  of,  or  the  Emi- 
grants' Guide,  publication  of, 
253 

Iowa  City,  need  of  skilled  labor 
in,  26 

Iowa  County,  Irish  in,  43;  Welsh 
in,  44,  45 

Iowa  diocese,  bishop  of,  237 

Iowa  Falls,  railroad  to,  72 

Iowa  Land  Company,  formation 
of,  99-108;  resources  of,  104, 
105;  management  of,  105,  106, 
263;  land  owned  by,  106,  265; 
taxes  of,  107;  capital  of,  108; 
activities  of,  in  Iowa,  113;  move 
of,  to  Minnesota,  113,  114,  115, 
116;  withdrawal  of  Close  bro- 
thers from,  114;  business  of, 
115;  partners  in,  115 

Iowa  Resources  and  Industries, 
publication  of,  40 

Ireland,  mention  of,  34,  163;  im- 
migrants from,  265;  conditions 
in,  280 

Ireton,  Henry,  town  named  for, 
290 

Ireton,  erection  of  brick  block  in, 
113;  English  farm  near,  137; 
origin  of  name  of,  252,  290 

Irish,  number  of,  in  Iowa,  17,  32, 
42-44,  51,  52,  289,  290;  dis- 
satisfaction of,  34,  35;  agent  to 
be  appointed  by,  35;  cause  for 
emigration  of,  42;  desirability 
of,  95 

"Iroquois",  race  won  by,  198 


INDEX 


317 


Irrigation,     activities     of     Close 

Brothers  in,   118,   119 
Italians,    number    of,    resident    in 

Iowa,  257 

Jacksox  County,  Irish  in,  "43; 
Canadians  in,  46 

Jacob,  Edgar,  sermon  by,   239 

Jameson,  S.  B.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Japan,  tea  from,  175 

Jasper  County,  Welsh  in,  44,  45; 
Scotch  in,  48;  English  in,  50; 
British   in,  257 

Jennings,  F.  S.,  part  of,  in  ath- 
letic meet,  201 

Jervis,  Mr.,  services  of,  on  ,cricket 
team,  191,  192,  193 

Jervis,  C.  L.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Jervis,  Eonald  C,  farm  of,  136; 
horse  owned  by,  201 ;  race  won 
by,  202;  title  of,  248;  member- 
ship of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Jervis  brothers,  229 

Johnson,  D,  G.,  services  of,  on 
cricket  team,  191;  part  of,  in 
"tug  of  war",  208;  member- 
ship of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Johnson  County,  Irish  in,  43; 
Welsh  in,  44,  45;  English  in, 
50;  British  in,  257 

Johnston,  William,  land  owned  by, 
116 

Joliet  (Illinois),  English  resident 
of,  248 

Jones,  A.  B.,  buck  killed  by,  189 

Jones  County,  Irish  in,  43;  Cana- 
dians in,  46 

Joshua,  mention  of,  172 

June  Derby,  popularity  of,  199 


Kansas,  trip  of  Close  brothers  to, 
61;  com  in,  76;  pioneer  con- 
ditions in,  88;  Close  brothers' 
investments  in,  118;  visit  of  S. 
Nugent  Townshend  to,  144 ;  visit 
of  Iowa  English  to,  231 

Kansas  Land  Company,  formation 
of,  117,  118 

Kay,  Charles,  farm  of,  137; 
marriage  of,  233;  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Kay,  R.  P.,  departure  of,  from 
Iowa,  93 

Kaye,  John  Lester,  land  owned 
by,  268 

Kennard,  R.  B.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Kennedy,  J.  C,  horse  owned  by, 
197,  198 

Kentucky,  immigrants  from,  17 

Keokuk,  settlement  at,  10;  Irish 
at,  42 

Keokuk  County,  Scotch  in,  48; 
English  in,  50 

Kernan,  Will  H.,  account  of  pupil 
system  written  by,  275 

Killingham  (England),  character 
of  people  from,  30 

King,  Alexander,  work  of,  on  com- 
mission, 34 

King,  E.  W.  G.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  283 

King  Street,  Manchester,  office  of 
Wm.  B.  Close  on,  77 

Kingsley,  platting  of,  101;  pur- 
chase of  land  at,  by  Closes,  121 ; 
bank  at,  176;  mission  church 
at,  243,  244;  English  residents 
at,  247 

Kirkbride,  B.  R.,  church  services 
conducted  by,  241 


318 


INDEX 


Kirkville,  Welsh  in,  45 

Elirwan,  Q.,  services  of,  on  cricket 

team,   191;  membership    of,    in 

Prairie  Club,  283 
Kirwan,  L.  Maitland,  membership 

of,  in  Prairie  Qub,  283 
"Kitchen   Maid",  prize  won  by, 

197,  198,  199 
Knowsley,  138 

I/ABORERS,  need  for,  26,  96,  128; 
pay  of,  131 

Lacrosse,  playing  of,  201 

**Lady  Grace",  prize  won  by,  197 

Laing,  Captain,  races  held  at  home 
of,  194 

Lake,  William,  interest  of,  in  im- 
migration, 30,  31 

Lake  Como  (Italy),  return  of 
Charles  Mylius  to,  176 

Lamar  (Colorado),  irrigation  pro- 
ject at,  118 

Land,  purchase  of,  21,  29,  40,  41, 
68-71,  99,  100,  101,  102,  104, 
259,  268,  269;  speculation  in, 
66,  73,  74;  price  of,  66,  68,  73, 
74,  81,  82,  97,  179,  182,  264, 
269;  profits  on,  77;  titles  to, 
83;  improvement  of,  98;  a- 
mount  of,  owned  by  English, 
115-119 

Land  and  Water,  letters  from  Wm. 
B.  Close  in,  75 

Land  companies,  efforts  of,  to  dis- 
pose of  land,  40,  41 

Lane,  Chas.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Langar,  138 

Langdon,  G.  H.,  horse  owned  by, 
198;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 
Club,  283 


Langley,  A.,  farm  of,  137;  mem- 
bership of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Larchwood,  land  bought  near,  101 ; 
Sykes  estate  at,  175;  mission 
church  at,  243,  244 

LascaUes,  A.  G.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Latham,  Richard  M.,  position  of, 
on  newspaper,  177;  residence  of, 
247 

Lee  County,  Irish  in,  43 

Leeds  (England),  printer  of,  24; 
literature  distributed  in,   36 

Legislature  (Iowa),  provision  of, 
for  Commissioner  of  Immigra- 
tion, 33;  Iowa  State  Board  of 
Immigration  created  by,  33,  34; 
need  of  publicity  presented  to, 
36,  37;  appropriation  of,  for 
encouragement  of  immigration, 
38 

Lehmann,  Rudolph  C,  visit  of,  to 
Iowa,  92,  93 

Leicester  (England),  literature 
distributed  in,   36 

Leicester  sheep,  raising  of,  132 

Leicestershire  (England),  mention 
of,  291 

Leidy,  C.  F.,  criticism  of,  212,  213 

Le  Mars,  Canadians  at,  46;  Eng- 
lish at,  49;  comment  by  editor 
of,  on  land  purchases  by  Close 
brothers,  69,  96,  121,  122,  126, 
127;  headquarters  for  English 
colonists  at,  69,  72-76;  location 
of,  72,  73;  fare  from  England 
to,  78;  reception  of  English 
colonists  at,  83,  94-98;  office  of 
Close  brothers  at,  102,  113,  114, 
116,  163;  feeling  at,  concerning 
prohibition,   109,   110,  111,  214, 


INDEX 


319 


215;  activities  of  Close  brothers 
at,  129-131;  description  of  col- 
ony at,  129-140,  144-147,  161- 
173;  cattle  auction  at,  139; 
farm  pupils  at,  141-156;  visit 
of  S.  Nugent  Townshend  to, 
144,  145,  146,  147;  interest  of 
English  at,  in  Eugby  colony, 
158-160;  fame  of  English  col- 
ony at,  161-173;  scenes  at  rail- 
road station  at,  161-166;  growth 
of,  165,  166;  cartoon  concern- 
ing, 172,  173;  erection  of  brick 
block  in,  174;  bank  at,  176; 
coal  mines  at,  181,  184;  Manu- 
facturers' Union  at,  185;  games 
at,  189,  190,  191,  192,  193; 
cricket  team  of,  190,  191,  193; 
horse  races  at,  195,  196,  197, 
198,  199;  hockey  team  of,  202; 
polo  at,  203,  208;  saloons  at, 
210-215;  disorders  in,  210,  211, 
212,  217,  218;  English  papers 
at,  216;  English  news  in  news- 
papers of,  216,  217;  attempts  to 
burn,  219 ;  concerts  at,  224 ; 
social  events  at,  224,  225,  226, 
227,  241 ;  guests  from,  227,  233 ; 
visits  of  Close  brothers  to,  231 ; 
trip  of  delegation  from,  231, 
232;  English  residents  of,  247, 
290;  population  of,  260;  Bri- 
tish in,  290 

Le  Mars  Athletic  Club,  formation 
of,  201 

Le  Mars  Club,  football  game  with, 
204 

Le  Mars  colony,  interest  in,  275 
(see  also  English  colony  and 
Close  colony) 

Le  Mars  cup  race,  holding  of,  198 


Le  Mars  Derby,  popularity  of, 
194,  199 

Le  Mars  Dramatic  Club,  program 
by,  224 

Le  Mars  Jockey  Club,  organiza- 
tion of,  193;  meeting  of,  201; 
mention  of,  208;   races  by,  227 

Le  Mars  Land  and  Stock  Feed- 
ing Company,  business  of,  176 

Le  Mars  Lawn  Tennis  Club,  plans 
of,  202;   organization  of,  280 

Le  Mars  Pork  Packing  House, 
English  owners  of,  175 

Le  Mars  races,  social  affairs  of, 
227 

Le  Mars  Sentinel,  The,  publisher 
of,  11;  article  reprinted  in,  168 
(see  also  Sentinel,  The) 

Lemars  Truth,  The,  comment  in, 
on  liberty  at  Le  Mars,  214,  215; 
change  of  name  to,  218;  discon- 
tinuance of,  219 

Lemars  World,  The,  editor  of,  219 

"Lena",  prize  won  by,  198 

Lewis,  John  Llewellyn,  birthplace 
of,  45 

Leycester,  L.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,   283 

Liberal  (Le  Mars),  comments  in, 
on  disorders  at  Le  Mars,  211, 
212 

Lincoln  (England),  literature  dis- 
tributed in,  36 

Lincoln  Township  (Montgomery 
County),  "Welsh  in,  45 

Lincolnshire  (England),  mention 
of,  172 

Linn  County,  Irish  in,  43;  Cana- 
dians in,  46;  Scotch  in,  48; 
English  in,  50 ;  British  in,  257 

Literature,  amount   of,   36,   37 


820 


INDEX 


"Little  Harry",  prize  won  by, 
198 

Little  Sioux  Eiver,  English  farms 
near,  131,  132;  game  on,  189 

Littledale,  E.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie   Club,  283 

Lire  stock,  amount  of,  in  Iowa, 
39;  amount  of,  in  Canada,  39; 
value  of,  269 

Liverpool  (England),  emigration 
from,  18,  19,  28;  literature  dis- 
tributed in,  36 ;  fare  from,  78 ; 
return  of  J.  D.  Aubertin  to,  246 

Lockhart,  General,  son  of,  235 

iiockhart,  Walter  C,  death  of, 
235;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 
Club,  283 

Xogan,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  tennis 
tournament,  208;  part  of,  in 
cricket  match,  209 

London  (England),  emigration  ad- 
vocated at,  18,  19;  mention  of, 
34;  literature  distributed  in, 
36;  letters  in  newspaper  of,  75; 
office  of  Wm.  B.  Close  in,  77, 
104,  163;  business  relations  of 
Close  brothers  in,  80,  81;  libel 
case  at,  153,  154;  representative 
of,  166;  article  in, newspaper 
of,  on  English  colony,  171,  172 ; 
revival  services  in,  242 

London  Field,  correspondent  of, 
232 

London  Times,  subscriptions  for, 
216;  comment  on,  216;  pro- 
prietor of,  233 

Long,  John,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

* '  Long  haul ' ',  charges  for,  71 

Lord,  A.  H.  M.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  283 


Lord,  H.  M.,  part  of,  in  hunt,  189 
Lords,  number  of,  in  Iowa,  163 
Louisa  County,  Welsh  in,  44,  45 
Low  Moor,  naming  of,  30 
Low  Moor  ( England ),  construction 

supplies  from,  30 
Lubbock,  A.,  mention  of,  148 
Lubbock,    Sir    John,   son   of,    148, 

166 
Lucas,    Adolphe,    membership    of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  283 
Lucas,  Welsh  in,  45 
Lucas    County,    mention    of,    34; 
Welsh    in,  44,    45;    English   in, 
50 
Lumber,  cost  of,  84,   85 
Lumber  yard,  owners  of,  177 
Lyon  County,  improvements  in,  97, 
98;    land  bought    in,    101,    116, 
121,   260,    268;    taxes    in,    107; 
plan  for  railroad  through,  108; 
land    business    in,    113;    houses 
in,  122,  123;   breaking  in,  124; 
stewards  in  charge  of  farms  in, 
128;    visitors    to,    229;    popula- 
tion of,  260;   British  in,  289 

Macdonald,  De.,   dinner  presided 

over  by,  192 
Machinery,  provision  for,  65 
McKay,  Wm.,  contracts  with,  122 
Maclagan,     Mr.,    services    of,    on 
cricket  team,  191;  presence  of, 
at  picnic,  228 
Maclagan,  C.   D.,   membership   of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  283 
Maclagan,  G.  C,  farm  of,  136; 
position  of,  in  bank,  176;  of- 
fices of,  184,  280;  services  of, 
on  cricket  committee,  190;  part 
of,  in  polo  match,  203,  204,  208; 


INDEX 


321 


injury  to,  204;  share  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  222,  283;  trip  of, 
to  Scotland,  230;  burial  place 
of,  248;  letter  from,  286 

Maclagan,  Mrs.  G.  C,  death  of, 
235 

Maclagan,  E.  B.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Maclagan,    Warren    and    Watson, 

,   commission  business  of,  175 

Maclaren,  D.,  part  of,  in  football 
game,  207 

M'Laren,  David  B.,  reference  to, 
262 

MacNair,  A.  G.  M.,  western  trip 
of,  232 

McPherson,  Mr.,  services  of,  on 
cricket  team,  191 

Madden,  J.  B.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,    283 

Mahan,  J.  T.,  part  of,  in  "tug 
of  war",  208 

Maher,  M.  T.,  lignite  discovered 
by,  185 

Mahaska  County,  Welsh  in,  44, 
45 ;  English  in,  50 ;  mention  of, 
272 

Maitland,  A.  W.,  work  of,  as 
private  secretary,  175;  place  of, 
in  Prairie  Minstrels,  224;  trip 
of,  to  England,  230;  return  of, 
to  England,  248;  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,   283 

Malarial  fever,  crew  afflicted  with, 
58 

Malcolm  Street,  239 

Manchester  (England),  literature 
distributed  in,  36;  John  B. 
Close  at,  69,  77;  letters  in 
newspapers   of,   75,   170;   immi- 


grants from,  96,  137;  visitor 
from,  229;   mention  of,  256 

Manchester  Down  sheep,  raising 
of,   133 

Manitoba,  wheat  growing  in,  60, 
76 

Mann,  Alice,  advice  of,  to  emi- 
grants, 23-28;  book  by,  24-28, 
32 

Mansel,  E.,  part  of,  in  football 
game,  207 

Mansel,  H.  G.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Manufacturers  *  Union,  formation 
of,   185 

Mardi  Gras,  trip  to,   232 

Margesson,  Mr.,  marriage  of,  248 

Margesson,  H.  P.,  arrival  of,  in 
Iowa,  161;  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,   283 

Margesson,  M.  R.,  farm  of,  136; 
arrival  of,  in  Iowa,  161;  mem- 
bership of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Margesson,  E.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Market,  148 

Marriott-Dodington,  H.  P.,  service 
of,  as  minister,  237 

Marsh,  Arthur  Everard,  church 
services  conducted  by,  243;  ref- 
erence to,  262;  coming  of,  to 
Iowa,  287 

Marsh,  Mrs.  Arthur  E.,  coming 
of,  to  Iowa,  287 

Marsh,  Arthur  Henry,  sketch  of 
life  of,  287,  288 

Marsh,  Percy,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Marsh,  S.  M.,  presence  of,  at 
dance,  227 


322 


INDEX 


Marsh,  W.  White,  farm  of,  146; 

reference  to,  262 
Marshall  County,  Canadians  in,  46 
Master,  A.  C.  C,  membership  of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  283 
Maurice,   grain  business   at,   177; 

Hollanders  at,  252 
Medd,    W.    H.    B.,    part    of,    in 

cricket  match,  209;   membership 

of,  in  Prairie  Club,   283 
Medicine  Hat   (Alberta),  English 

resident  at,  247,  248 
Melbourne,  removal  of  county  seat 

from,  73 
Mellersh,  T.  G.,  pamphlet  by,  150, 

151 
Mercator's  letters,  217 
Merrill,    Samuel,    letter    of,     34; 

criticism   of,   by   Irish,   35 
Merrill,  shipments  from,  175;  men- 
tion of,  188 
Methodist  Church  (Le  Mars),  lack 

of  respect  for,  211 
Middle  West,  reason  for  delay  in 

settlement  of,  178 
Migration,   interest   in,    7-10 
Miller  &  Co.,  butter  purchased  by, 

136 
Milne,  John,  guests  of,  229 
Milne,    Sydney,    death    of,    175; 

membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 

283 
Milton,  John,  mention  of,  254 
Milwaukee  (Wisconsin),  consul  at, 

269 
Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  Railroad, 

lands  purchased  of,  116 
Minneapolis      (Minnesota),     grain 

business   of   Henry   J.    Moreton 

at,   177;   cricket  team  of,   193; 

English  residents  at,  247 


Minnesota,  emigrants  encouraged 
by,  33;  wheat  raising  in,  76; 
hunting  in,  89;  land  improved 
in,  98;  value  of  land  in,  101; 
land  bought  in,  104,  106;  move 
of  Iowa  Land  Company  into, 
113,  114,  115;  amount  of  land 
owned  by  English  in,  115,  116, 
269;  farm  pupils  in,  150,  154; 
proposed  removal  of  English  to, 
158;  land  owned  in,  by  aliens, 
269 

Mirror,  The  (Le  Mars),  editor  of, 
219 

"Miss  Nancy"  emigrants,  at- 
titude toward,  28 

Missions,  information  concerning, 
243,  244 

Mississippi,  land  owned  in,  by 
aliens,  268 

Mississippi  River,  lectures  on  val- 
ley of,  17,  18;  use  of  corn  as 
fuel  on  steamboats  on,  70;  soil 
along,  88 

Mississippi  Valley,  local  pride  in, 
9;  emigration  to,  22;  agricul- 
tural resources  of,  120 

Missouri,  visit  of  Close  brothers 
to,  61 

Missouri  Land  Company,  land 
owned  by,  268 

Missouri  Land  and  S.  S.  Co.,  land 
owned  by,  269 

Missouri  River,  value  of  lands 
along,  82,  88 ;  bluflFs  of,  89 ;  end 
of  free  range  on,  245,  246 

Moingona,  Scotch  in,  48 

Money,  lending  of,  81,  82 

Mongols,  migration  of,  7 

Monroe  County,  Irish  in,  43; 
Welsh    in,    44;    Scotch    in,    48, 


INDEX 


323 


257;  English  in,  50;  British  in, 
257 

Montana,  proposed  removal  of 
British  to,  246 

Montgomery,  R.  H.,  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Montgomery  County,  Welsh  in,  44, 
45 

Moody,  Dwight  L.,  revival  service 
of,  242 

Moore,  A.  J.,  presence  of,  at 
dance,  227 

Moore,  A.  W.,  farm  of,  137 

Moore,  O.  A.,  farm  of,  179 

Moors,  migration  of,  7 

Moravians,  presence  of,  in  Iowa, 
17 

Moreton,  F.  J.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Moreton,  Henry  J.,  position  of,  in 
bank,  176;  grain  business  of, 
177;  office  of,  184;  services  of, 
on  cricket  team,  191;  part  of, 
in  fpolo  match,  208;  member- 
ship of,  in  Prairie  Club,  222, 
283;  trip  of,  to  England,  230; 
residence  of,  247 

Moreton,  Reginald,  interest  of,  in 
blooded  stock,  137,  138;  trip  of, 
to  England,  230 

Moreton,  Reynolds,  farm  of,   132, 
133,    144,    145,    146,    179,    180 
advice  of,  on  sheep  raising,  134 
interest    of,    in    blooded    stock 
137,     138;     mention     of,     148 
farm  pupils   of,   151,   155,  235 
coming   of,   to   Iowa,    166;    pri- 
vate secretary  of,  175;  position 
of,    as    president   of   land   com- 
pany,    176;     drill     ordered    by, 
181;    report    of     coal    findings 


made  by,  182,  183,  184,  186; 
office  of,  184,  190;  thanks  ex- 
tended by,  184,  185;  criticism 
of,  185,  186;  chase  begun  at 
farm  of,  188;  cricket  team  of, 
190,  191;  telephone  to  farm  of, 
213;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 
Club,  222,  283;  guests  of,  229; 
address  by,  234,  286;  church 
services  conducted  by,  237,  238, 
242,  243;  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  organized  by, 
242;  dogs  raised  by,  274;  death 
of,  278;  letter  from,  286 

Moreton,  Mrs.  Reynolds,  thanks 
extended  by,   184,   185 

Moreton 's  "pups",  game  with, 
204 

Morgan,  Mr.,  presence  of,  at  pic- 
nic, 228 

Morgan,  Mrs.,  presence  of,  at  pic- 
nic, 228 

Morgan,  John,  bricks  made  by, 
175 

Morgan,  T.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Morris,  G.,  arrival  of,  in  Iowa, 
161 

Morris,  J.  C,  mention  of,  215 

Mortgages,  business  in,  82 

Mowbray,  A.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,   283 

Mueller,  Count  von,  part  of,  in 
polo  match,  203,  204 

Murray  County  (Minnesota),  land 
business  in,  113 

Muscatine,  need  of  skilled  labor 
at,  26 

Muscatine  County,  Irish  in,  43 

Music,  club  for,  223,  224 

Mylius,  Charles,  business  career  of. 


324 


INDEX 


176;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 

Club,  283 
Myron,    Mr.,    part    of,    in    cricket 

game,  192,  193 
Mystic,  English  at,  49 

Nairn,    Phiup,    death    of,    158; 

reference  to,  262 
Nash,    J.    R.,    membership    of,    in 

Prairie  Club,  283 
Nashotah     Theological    Seminary, 

240 
Neath    (England),   literature   dis- 
tributed in,  36 
Nebraska,   trip   of   Close   brothers 

to,    61 ;     corn    raising    in,    76 ; 

pioneer  conditions  in,  88 
"Ned",  race  won  by,  199 
Negroes,  refusal  of,  to  work,  61; 

absence  of,  from  Iowa,  .87 
Nesfield,  E.,  part  of,  in  "tug  of 

war",   208;    membership  of,   in 

Prairie  Club,  283 
Neville,  Canon,  sermon  by,  238 
New  England   States,   immigrants 

from,  17 
"New    England     of    the     North- 
west",  166 
New   Jersey,    comment    by   editor 

of,  121,  122 
New  Mexico,  pioneer  conditions  in, 

88;    trip    of    English    through, 

231,  232 
New  Orleans  (Louisiana),  produce 

sold  at,  21;  expositions  held  at, 

40 
New  York,    immigrants   from,    17 
New    York   City,    experiences    in, 

22;  arrival  of  emigrants  at,  28; 

quarantine    regulations    at,    30, 

31;    Commissioner  of   Immigra- 


tion at,  33;  cost  of  transporting 
grain  to,  70,  71 ;  marriage  of 
Wm.  B.  Close  at,  77,  233;  trip 
to,  to  buy  land,  81;  comment 
by  papers  of,  on  English  in 
Iowa,  166,  167;   roughs  in,  211 

New  World,  peopling  of,  7,  8 

Newcastle-on-Tyne  (England), 
mention  of,  258 

Newgas,  Benjamin,  land  owned 
by,  268;  land  company  repre- 
sented by,  268 

Newhall,  John  B.,  advice  of,  to 
immigrants,  17-23 ;  coming  of, 
to  Iowa,  18;  book  by,  18,  19, 
32;  influence  of,  in  England,  32 

Newman,  A.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Newmarch,  L.  A.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Newspapers,  accounts  in,  concern- 
ing emigrants,  21,  22;  criticisms 
of,  96;  comment  in,  relative  to 
Iowa  Land  Company,  105;  pub- 
licity in,  concerning  English 
colony,  161-168,  171,  172,  173; 
account  of,  among  English  set- 
tlers, 216,  217 

Nicholson,  B.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Nicholson,  James  Birrell,  farm  of, 
«  136 

Nicholson,  R.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Nicholson  brothers,  residence  of, 
247 

"Nippon",  prize  won  by,  201 

Nobles  County  (Minnesota),  land 
bought  in,  104,  107,  108,  113, 
116 

Normans,  migration  of,  7 


INDEX 


325 


Norsemen,  migration  of,  7 

North  America,  hardships  endured 
in,  8 

North  Carolina,  immigrants  from, 
17 

North,  Central  and  South  Ameri- 
can Exposition  (New  Orleans), 
Iowa  display  at,  40 

North  Dakota,  fertility  of,  107, 
108;   land  bought  in,   259 

North-Western  Coal  and  Mining 
Company,    organization    of,    184 

Northwestern  Iowa,  purchase  of 
land  in,  by  Close  brothers,  59- 
62,  68-71,  74,  75;  trip  of  Close 
brothers  to,  61,  62;  advantages 
of,  63,  64,  75,  76,  89,  120-128, 
135;  farming  operations  of 
Close  brothers  in,  63-67;  rail- 
roads in,  73,  74;  pamphlets  on 
farming  in,  77-86;  physical 
characteristics  of,  88;  fuel  in, 
89;  hunting  in,  89;  servants  in, 
89,  91;  climate  of,  91;  dis- 
advantages of,  91,  169,  170; 
land  business  in,  113;  fame  of 
colony  in,  161-173;  description 
of,  167,  168;  church  life  in, 
237-244;  disappearance  of  Eng- 
lish from,  245-252 

Northwestern  Polo  League,  organ- 
ization of,  203 

Norwegians,  number  of,  in  Iowa, 
52 

Nottingham  (England),  literature 
distributed  in,  36 

O'Brien,  William  Smith,  county 

named  for,  290 
O'Brien  County,  railroads  in,   72; 

origin   of   names    of,    252,    265, 


290;  population  of,  260;  men- 
tion of,  265,  285;  number  of 
British  in,  289 

O 'Gorman,  Richard,  letter  to,  rela- 
tive to   immigration,   35 

Ohio,  immigrants  from,  17;  ad- 
vantages of  settlers  in,  27,  28; 
value  of  farm  buildings  in,  269 

Oldfield,  C.  B.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Omaha  (Nebraska),  journey  from, 
103;  trains  from,  194;  polo  club 
organized  at,  203 

Onawa,  polo  club  organized  at, 
203 

Ontario  (Canada),  live  stock  in, 
39 

Orange  City,  English  at,  136,  137; 
Hollanders  at,  252;  founding 
of,  272 

Orde,  Julian  W.,  part  of,  in  polo 
match,  208;  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  283 

Osceola  County,  railroads  in,  72, 
108;  improvements  in,  97,  98; 
county  seat  of,  103;  land 
bought  in,  104,  113,  116;  com- 
pany established  in,  106;  taxes 
in,  107;  business  of  Close  broth- 
ers in,  114;  business  of  Iowa 
Land  Company  in,  115;  houses 
in,  122,  123;  breaking  in,  124; 
stewards  in  charge  of  farms  in, 
128,  174;  population  of,  260; 
farms  in,  271;  British  in,  289 

Oskaloosa,  Welsh  at,  45;  English 
at,  49 

Osmanston,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  foot- 
ball game,  205,  206,  207 

Oswell,  T.,  part  of,  in  paper 
chase,     188 ;     services     of,     on 


326 


INDEX 


cricket  team,  191 
Ottumwa,   Welsh  at,  45;    English 

at,  49 
Oxford    Down    sheep,    raising    of, 

133 
Oxford  University,  rowing  contest 

with,   57;    graduates  of,   at  Le 

Mars,  139,  238 

Pacific  Ocean,  voyage  across,  26 

Paget,  Lord  Alfred,  son  of,  166 

Paget,  Alfred  H.,  soap  factory  of, 
175,  176;  part  of,  in  athletic 
meet,  201;  part  of,  in  football 
game,  205,  206,  207;  part  of, 
in  tennis  tournament,  208;  part 
of,  in  cricket  match,  209;  mem- 
bership of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Paget,  Almeric,  coming  tof,  to 
English  colony,  143;  title  of, 
249;  marriage  of,  249 

Palace  Dray  Line,  owner  of,  177 

Paley,  Fred,  commission  business 
of,  174;  cricket  matches  ar- 
ranged by,  190;  office  of,  190, 
193;  horse  owned  by,  199; 
presence  of,  at  picnic,  228; 
burial  place  of,  248;  member- 
ship of,  in  Prairie  Club,  283 

Paley,  Mrs.  Fred,  injury  of,  199; 
sketches  by,  217 

Foley's  Theology,  author  of,  139 

Pamphlet  on  farming  in  Iowa,  77- 
86 

Panhandle,  purchase  of  land  in, 
by  Close  brothers,  118 

Panic  of  1877,  condition  of  farm- 
ers during,  70 

Paper  chase,  holding  of,  188,  189 

Paper  mill,  need  of,  149 

Paxdoe,  O.  T.,  part  of,  in  cricket 


game,    192;    part    of,    in    polo 

match,  208;   membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  284 
Parisian   Grand   Prix,   winner   of, 

198 
Parke,     A.,     membership     of,     in 

Prairie  Club,  283 
Parke,     C,     membership     of,     in 

Prairie  Club,  283 
Parke,   E.   R.,   membership   of,   in 

Prairie  Club,  284 
Parke,    W.,    membership    of,     in 

Prairie  Club,   284 
Patrick,   R.    T.,   song   written   by, 

288 
Patten,  H.  S.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  284 
Paul,  Edward,  land  owned  by,  116 
Paul,     H.,     membership     of,     in 

Prairie  Club,   284 
PauUin,  D,  Edward,  residence  of, 

285 
Paullin,     Daniel,     advice     of,     to 

William    B.    Close,    58,    59,    68, 

233,    258;    investments    of,    61; 

service  of,  as  Close  agent,   68; 

sketch    of    life    of,    258,    259; 

death  of,  285 
Paullin,  Henry,  residence  of,  285 
Paullin,    Mary,    marriage    of,    to 

Wm.  B.  Close,  59,  77,  233,  285 
Paullin  brothers,   farm   of,   285 
Paullina,  mention  of,  285 
Paulton,  Walter  Abraham,  trip  of, 

to    England,   230;   marriage   of, 

233;     return     of,     to    England, 

248;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 

Club,  284 
Paulton,  Will,   residence  of,   247; 

membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 

284 


INDEX 


327 


Paul  ton  brothers,  farm  of,  136, 
137 

PajTi,  Mr.,  farm  of,  181 

Payne,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  cricket 
game,  192,  209;  money  won  by, 
200 

Payne,  F.,  part  of,  in  athletic 
meet,  201;  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,   284 

PajTie,  Randolph,  marriage  of, 
233;  residence  of,  247;  mem- 
bership of,  in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Payne,  W.  W.,  part  of,  in  tennis 
tournament,  208 ;  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Pease,  Miss,  presence  of,  at  dance, 
227 

Peel,  Albert,  land  owned  by,  in 
United  States,  268 

Pell,  Mr.,  visit  of,  to  America, 
172 

Pella,  mention  of,  272 

Pennsylvania,  immigrants  from, 
17;   Wm.  B.  Close  in,   61 

Perkins,  George  D.,  appointment 
of,  as  Commissioner  of  Immi- 
gration, 38 

Perry,  Bishop,  238 

Perth  (Scotland),  literature  dis- 
tributed in,  36 

Peters,  F,  D.,  presence  of,  ,at 
dance,  227 

"Petrarch",  prize  won  by,  198, 
199 

Phenhallagan,  D.  G.,  part  of,  in 
athletic  meet,  201 

Philadelphia  (Pennsylvania),  re- 
gatta at,  57,  58;  marriage  of 
Rev.   Cunningham   at,   240 

Philadelphia  Centennial  Exposi- 
tion, Iowa  display  at,  40 


Phillips,  Marshall  Co.,  land  owned 
by,  268 

Philpotts,  S.,  syndicate  headed  by, 
268 

PMlson,  Mr,,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Picnics,  description  of,  227,  228 

Pierce,  J.  T,,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Pioneer-Press  (St.  Paul),  refer- 
ence to,  110,  116 

Pioneers,  hardships  of,  8;  quali- 
fications of,  26;  sale  of  lands 
by,  68 

Pipestone  (Minnesota),  hotel  at, 
113;  Frederick  B,  Close  at,  114; 
oifice  of  Close  brothers  at,  114; 
removal  of  Close  brothers  to, 
116,  230,  231;  mention  of,  189 

Pipestone  County  (Minnesota), 
purchase  of  land  in,  113,  116 

Pipestone  Jockey  Club,  meeting 
of,  201 

"Pirates  of  Penzance",  giving 
of,  241 

Pitts,  C.  W.,  acknowledgment  to, 
11 

Plymouth  Coal  Company,  organi- 
zation of,  183 

Plymouth  County,  Canadians  in, 
46;  English  in,  50;  purchase  of 
land  in,  by  Close  brothers,  68, 
71,  99,  100,  120,  121,  157; 
railroads  in,  72;  first  settlements 
in,  72;  plans  for  English  col- 
ony in,  81 ;  description  of,  88, 
92,  93;  need  of  laborers  in,  96; 
improvements  in,  97,  98;  towns 
platted  in,  100,  101;  value  of 
land  in,  101,  264;  land  titles 
in,  102;  land  in,  105,  285;  taxes 


328 


INDEX 


in,  107;  vote  of,  on  prohibitory 
amendment,  109;  land  business 
in,  113,  114;  agricultural  re- 
sources of,  120,  168,  269 ;  houses 
in,  122;  breaking  in,  124; 
planting  of  trees  in,  125;  Dutch 
in,  127;  land  owned  by  English 
in,  131 ;  farm  in,  136 ;  lords  in, 
163;  rewards  offered  by,  for 
discovery  of  coal,  179;  first 
rural  telephone  in,  213;  origin 
of  name  of,  252,  290,  291; 
population  of,  260;  encourage- 
ment of  immigrants  to,  271; 
number  of  British  in,  289 

Plymouth  County  Agricultural  So- 
ciety, annual  fair  of,  199 

Poland  China  hogs,  raising  of, 
132,  136 

Polk  County,  Irish  in,  43;  Welsh 
in,  44,  45;  Canadians  in,  46; 
Scotch  in,  48;  English  in,  50; 
British  in,  257 

Polled  Angus  cattle,  raising  of, 
136 

Pollock,  Baron,  decision  of,  154 

Polo,  death  of  Frederick  B.  Close 
during  game  of,  119;  playing 
of,  203,  204,  208 

Population,  westward  movement 
of,  70;  increase  in,  73 

Portland,  football  game  with,  205, 
206,  207 

Portland  Township  (Plymouth 
County),  purchase  of  land  in, 
by  Close  brothers,  68 

Portlandville,  funeral  at,  238 

Portsea    (England),  vicar  at,  239 

Pottawattamie  County,  Irish  in, 
43 ;  Canadians  in,  46 ;  Scotch  in, 
48;   English  in,  50;   British  in, 


257;  rank  of,  as  farming  com- 
munity, 269 

Potter,  E.,  coming  of,  to  Iowa, 
166 

Potter,  B.  E.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Potter,  Thomas  Bayley,  son  of, 
139 

Poweshiek  County,  Irish  in,  43; 
Scotch  in,  48 

Poweshiek  Township  (Jasper  Coun- 
ty), Welsh  in,  45 

Prairie  Club,  races  held  by,  201; 
establishment  of,  222;  members 
of,  222,  223,  2^,  247,  282-284; 
rooms  of,  222,  223;  concert  at, 
224;  hospitality  of,  to  Ameri- 
cans, 224,  225;  effect  of  pro- 
hibition on,  226;  news  received 
at,  235;  minute  book  of,  281, 
282 

Prairie  Minstrels,  personnel  of, 
223,  224;   concert  by,  224 

Preemption,  lands  secured  under, 
73 

Presbyterian  Church  (Sioux  City), 
substitute  minister  in,  242,  243 

Prescott,  Percy  E.,  dray  business 
of,  177;  guests  of,  230;  resi- 
dence of,  247;  reference  to, 
262;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 
Club,  284 

Prestledge,  137 

Preston,  Mr.,  services  of,  on 
cricket  team,  191 

Preston,  A.  G.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Preston,  J.  H.,  farm  of,  137;  in- 
terest of,  in  blooded  stock,  137, 
138;  share  of,  in  organization 
of  the  Prairie  Club,  222;  burial 


INDEX 


329 


place  of,  248;  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Preston  Township  (Plymouth 
County),  purchase  of  land  in, 
by  Close  brothers,  68 

Price,  F.  R.,  office  of,  190;  part 
of,  in  cricket  game,  193;  share 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  222,  284; 
place  of,  in  Prairie  Minstrels, 
224;  burial  place  of,  248;  col- 
lege  of,  273 

Price,  H.  J.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Probert,  John  W.,  acknowledg- 
ment to,  12;  statement  of,  rela- 
tive to  Close  brothers,  264; 
statement  of,  relative  to  land 
titles,  265;  office  of,  267 

Professions,  practice  of,  in  Eng- 
lish colony,  176 

Prohibition,  relation  of,  to  Eng- 
lish immigration,  109-112 ;  at- 
titude toward,  in  English  col- 
ony, 214,  215 

Prohibition  amendment,  legislative 
adoption  of,  109;  popular  vote 
on,  109,  110;  attitude  of  Eng- 
lish toward,  109,  110,  111,  112; 
unconstitutionality   of,   112 

Property,  price  of,  20,  21;  law 
relative  to,  39 

Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  work 
of,  238 

Public  schools  (English),  men 
from,   150 

Publicity,  work  for,  in  regard  to 
Iowa,  87-93 

Pullman  (Washington),  English 
resident  of,  248 

Pullman   cars,  English  in,   162 

Punch,   cartoon   in,   on   Iowa   col- 


ony, 172,  173;  subscriptions  for, 
216 
Pupils,  farm,  taking  of,  by  Close 
brothers,  85,  86;  service  of,  on 
farms,  132;  origin  of  idea  of, 
141;  status  of,  141,  142,  151, 
152,  154;  account  of,  in  Eng- 
lish colony,  141-156;  niunber  of, 

142,  146,    151 ;    dissipation    of, 

143,  153,  155,  210,  211,  212, 
213;  advertisements  for,  147- 
151,  154;  disadvantages  of,  152, 
153 ;  abandonment  of  system  of, 
153;  stories  of,  154,  155 

"Pups",  nickname  of,  144,  274 

Quarantine  eegulations,  need 
for  improvement  of,  30,  31 

Queenborough,  Lord,  mention  of, 
143,  249 

Queen's  Bench,  Court  of,  case  in, 
involving  farm  pupils,  153,  154 

Queen's  College,  graduates  of,  273 

Quincy  (Illinois),  Daniel  Paullin 
from,  58,  59;  William  B.  Close 
at,  58,  59;  mention  of,  285 

Quom,  platting  of,  100,  101,  291; 
English  farmers  at,  131,  132; 
cricket  practised  at,  190;  foot- 
ball team  of,  204;  church  serv- 
ices at,  239;  origin  of  name  of, 
252 

Quorn  Farm,  mention  of,  176 

Quom  Hunt,  mention  of,  291 

Race  course,  condition  of,  196 
Races,  mention  of,   195,   196;   at- 
tendance   at,    197;    holding    of, 
197,    198,    199,    200,    201,    207, 
208 
Railroads,   literature    disseminated 


330 


INDEX 


by,  34;  efforts  of,  to  dispose  of 

land,    40,   41;    building   of,    70, 

71 ;  number  of,  in  northwestern 

Iowa,  72,  73,  88,  127;  rates  on, 

78 
Bamsey,  Mr.,  part  of,  in   cricket 

game,  191,  192 
Range,  disappearance  of,  245,  246 
Batliff,   Thos.,  membership   of,   in 

Prairie  Club,  284 
Baton     (New    Mexico),    visit    of 

English  to,  231,  232 
Baymond,  O.   T.,  membership   of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  222,  284 
Beade,   E.,   part   of,   in   "tug   of 

war",  208 
Beading      (England),     clergyman 

from,  238 
Bed  River  Valley,  wheat  growing 

in,  60;  offer  to  inspect  land  in, 

107,    108;    Dalrymple    farm    in, 

259 
Begatta,  Close  brothers  in,  57,  58 
Beid,    A.    A.    P.,    membership    of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  284 
Beid,  Edward,  land  owned  by,  268 
Beid,   F.    B.,    membership   of,  dn 

Prairie  Club,  284 
Beligion,  influence  of,  in  English 

colony,  237-244 
Bent,  terms  of,  65,  66,  67 
Bepublican  party,  attitude  of  Eng- 
lish toward,  216 
Bevell,    Mr.,    part    of,    in    paper 

chase,  188 
Bichards,   Mr.,   part  of,   in  paper 

chase,  188 
Bichards,  C.  N.,  office  of,  280 
Bichards,    G.    J.,   membership    of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  284 


Bichards,  H.  O.  K.,  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Bichards,  H.  W.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Richardson  and  Hospers,  Dutch 
immigration  encouraged  by,  127, 
271,  272 

Eichmond,   Mr.,   daughter  of,  288 

Bichmond,  William,  church  serv- 
ices conducted  by,  243 

Eickards,  H.,  farm  of,  137;  busi- 
ness interests  of,  175;  place  of, 
in  Prairie  Minstrels,  223;  pres- 
ence of,  at  picnic,  228;  trip  of, 
to  England,  230;  return  of,  to 
England,  248 ;  reference  to,  262 ; 
membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 
284 

Bicketts,  purchase  of  land  at,  by 
Close  brothers,  59 

Bidgeways,  A.,  horse  owned  by, 
197 

Boads,  condition  of,  in  northwest- 
em  Iowa,  89 

Bobert  Benson  and  Company,  firm 
of,  277 

Eoberts,  F.  C,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Eoberts,  Frost,  and  Heaphy,  busi- 
ness of,  175 

Bobertson,  C.  L.,  part  of,  in 
athletic  meet,  201;  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Bobertson,  E.  F.,  place  of,  in 
Prairie  Minstrels,  224;  return 
of,  to  England,  248;  member- 
ship of,  in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Bobinson,  F.  B.,  part  of,  in  ath- 
letic meet,  201 ;  part  of,  in 
football  game,  206,  207;   mem- 


INDEX 


331 


bership  of,  in  Prairie  Club,  222, 
284 

Rochdale  (England),  represent- 
ative of,  139 

Rochester  (New  York),  race 
course  at,   194 

Rock  County  (Minnesota),  land 
bought  in,  104,  113,  116 

Rock  Rapids,  office  opened  at,  101, 
102;  mission  church  at,  244 

Rodgers,  Mr.,  syndicate  headed  by, 
268 

Rollo,  Eric,  part  of,  in  football 
game,  206;  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Rollo,  H.  E.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Roman  Catholics,  settlement  of,  in 
Iowa,  43,  44 

Romanes,  F.  E.,  race  won  by, 
202;  part  of,  in  tennis  tourna- 
ment, 208;  place  of,  in  Prairie 
Minstrels,  223;  presence  of,  at 
picnic,  228;  death  of,  248;  serv- 
ices of,  on  committee,  280; 
membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 
284 

Ronaldson,  A.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  222,  284;  picnic 
by,  228;  burial  place  of,  248 

Ronaldson,  Mrs.  A.,  picnic  by,  228 

Rowing,  interest  of  Close  broth- 
ers in,  57,  58 

Rubio,  Mr.,  book  by,  27 

Ruble,  Mr.,  farm  of,  181 

Rugby  (Tennessee),  English  com- 
munity at,  157-160,  275 

Rugby  colony,  story  of,  157-160; 
visit  to,  276 

Rugby  football,  playing  of,  204, 
205,  206,  207 


Rugby  Public  School,  graduates 
from,   157 

' '  Runners ' ',  emigrants  cautioned 
against,  22 

Russell,  "Bull  Run",  book  pub- 
lished by,  265 

Russians,  number  of,  in  Iowa,  257 

St.  Geoeqe's  Benevolent  Asso- 
ciation OP  Clinton,  president 
of,  30 

St.  George's  Church  (Le  Mars), 
dedication  of,  240;  services  in, 
240,  241,  242;  program  for, 
241;    membership   of,    243,    244 

"St.  Kames",  farm  pupil  system 
described  by,   144-147 

St.  Leonard,  barony  of,  236 

St.  Louis  (Missouri),  polo  team 
of,  204 

St.  Paul  (Minnesota),  criticism  of 
press  of,  relative  to  immigra- 
tion, 96;  conference  held  at, 
100;  mention  of,  103;  welcome 
extended  at,  105;  removal  of 
Iowa  Land  Company  to,  115; 
quotation  from  newspaper  of, 
116,  117,  129-131;  market  at, 
166;  cricket  team  of,  191,  192, 
193;  trains  from,  194;  horse 
races  mentioned  in  press  of, 
196;   guests  from,  227 

St.  Paul  and  Omaha  Railroad, 
train  furnished  by,  105 

St.  Paul  and  Sioux  City  Railroad, 
route  of,  73;  land  commissioner 
of,  100;  land  agents  of,  101; 
letter  to,  103;  title  disputed  by, 
104;  town  site  purchased  from, 
113;  foreign  land  owners  along, 
116 


332 


INDEX 


St.   Paul  Pioneer   Press,   interest 

of,  in  English  colony,  166   (see 

also  Pioneer-Press) 
St.  Vincent,  Earl,  248 
St.  Vincent,  Lord,  sons   of,   145; 

death  of,  235 
Salix,  polo  club  organized  at,  203 
Saloon,  cost  of  travel  by,  78 
Saloons,  names  of,  210;   criticism 

of,    210,    211;    account    of,    at 

Le  Mars,  210-215;  fight  in,  213, 

214 
Sammis,  J.  U.,  office  of,  280 
Sammis  brothers,  part  of,  in  polo 

match,  204 
Sankey,  Ira  D.,  revival  service  of, 

242 
Saskatchewan     (Canada),    Iov?ans 

in,  47 
Sawyer,  S.  B,,  contracts  with,  122 
Saxons,  migration  of,  7 
Scandinavians,    representation    of, 

on  immigration  board,  34 
Schools,  provision  for,  127 
Scotch,   number   of,   in   Iowa,    17, 

32,  47,  48,  51,  52,  289,  290 
Scotch  Land  Company,  land  owned 

by,  268,  269 
Scotland,  literature  distributed  in, 

34;  immigrants  from,  136,  265; 

Le    Mars    newspaper    sent    to, 

163;   trips  of  colonists  to,  230, 

234;  return  of  colonists  to,  246 
Scott  County,  Irish  in,  43;  Cana- 
dians   in,    46;    Scotch    in,    48; 

English  in,  50;   British  in,  257 
Scougel,   Mr.,   part   of,  in   cricket 

match,  209 
Seattle      (Washington),      English 

resident  at,  248 
Sedgwick,  Mr.,  farm  of,  181 


Seed,  cost  of,  67 

Seney,  English  farm  near,  137; 
hockey  team  of,  202 

Sentinel,  The  (Le  Mars),  reporter 
of,  177;  libel  suit  against,  219; 
church  news  in,  240  (see  also 
Le  Mars  Sentinel) 

Seppings,  Q.  W.,  church  services 
conducted  by,  241 

Sergeant's  Bluflf,  farm  near,  233 

Servants,  supply  of,  89,  91 ;  lack 
of,  169,  170;  status  of,  171 

Shakespeare,  William,  mention  of, 
253 

Shambaugh,  Benj.  F.,  acknowledg- 
ment to,  13 

Sharp,  R.  W.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Sharp,  W.,  reference  to,  262 

Sharp,  W.  A.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Shaw,  Alfred,  reference  to,  262 

Shearman,  Henry,  libel  suit 
brought  by,  153,  154 

Sheep,  advantages  of  northwest- 
ern Iowa  for  raising  of,  88,  89, 
92;  number  of,  132,  133;  pro- 
fits of,  133,  134;  loss  of,  by 
freezing,  134;  range  feeding  of, 
135 

Sheffield  (England),  literature  dis- 
tributed in,  36 

Sheldon,  number  of  people  from, 
196;  program  at,  224;  mission 
church  at,  243,  244 

Sheppard,  George,  Iowa  praised 
by,  28;  services  of,  to  emi- 
grants,  28,   29 

Shorthorn  cattle,  raising  of,  132, 
136,  137 

Shuttleworth,  J.  Duehurst.  pamph- 


INDEX 


333 


let  prepared  by,  38,  39;  sig- 
nature of,  39;  newspaper  ac- 
count of,  39 
Sibley,  office  of  Close  brothers  at, 
102,  113,  114;  visit  of  ducal 
party  to,  103;  improvements  in 
land  near,  104;  headquarters  of 
company  at,  104;  prospects  of, 
106;  building  at,  108;  English 
activities  in,  115;  steamship 
agent  at,  175;  cricket  team  of, 
193;  number  of  people  from, 
196;  polo  t«am  of,  208;  pro- 
gram at,  224;  removal  of  Close 
brothers  to,  230,  231 ;  mission 
church  at,  243,  244;  mention 
of,  271 
Simms,  H.  A.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  284 
Simpson,   "W.   D.,  membership    of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  284 
Sinclair,   Mr.,  part  of,  in   cricket 

game,  192,  209 
Sinclair,  A.  C,  part  of,  in  foot- 
ball game,  207;  membership  of, 
in   Prairie  Club,  284 
Sinclair,  C,  part  of,  in   "tug  of 

war",  208 
Sioux  Center,  Hollanders  at,  252 
Sioux  City,  Irish  at,  43,  290; 
Canadians  at,  47,  290;  Scotch 
at,  48,  290;  English  at,  49, 
290;  railroad  to,  72;  land  of- 
fice at,  104,  105;  land  com- 
missioner at,  105;  Close  broth- 
ers at,  114,  121;  English  farm 
near,  137;  stock  judging  at, 
138;  English  lawyer  at,  176; 
grain  business  of,  177;  dray 
line  at,  177;  guests  from,  196, 
226,    227,    233;    races    at,    201; 


polo  at,  203,  204;  account  of 
disorders  at  Le  Mars  in  news- 
papers of,  211,  212;  visits  at, 
231 ;  entertainment  at,  241 ; 
Episcopal  church  at,  243;  Eng- 
lish residents  at,  247;  burial  at, 
248;  population  of,  260 

Sioux  City  and  St,  Paul  Railroad, 
coming  of,  to  Iowa,  72;  foreign 
landowners     along,     116;     land 
commissioner  of,  256;   land  of,      , 
264 

Sioux  City  Journal,  mention  of, 
111 

Sioux   City   Planing   Mill,   176 

Sioux  City  Quadrille  Band,  music 
by,  227 

Sioux  County,  raUroads  in,  72; 
description  of,  88 ;  improvements 
in,  97,  98;  value  of  land  in, 
101,  264;  taxes  in,  107;  build- 
ings in,  113,  122;  business  of 
Close  brothers  in,  114,  123 ;  pur- 
chase of  land  in,  116;  agricul- 
tural resources  of,  120,  269; 
breaking  in,  124 ;  Dutch  in,  127 ; 
need  of  laborers  in,  128;  lords 
in,  163;  farms  in,  238,  239; 
population  of,  260;  encourage- 
ment of  immigrants  to,  271; 
British  in,  289 

Sioux  Falls  (South  Dakota),  plan 
for  railroad  to,  108;  polo  club 
organized  at,  203;  English  resi- 
dent at,  247 

Slayton,  C.  W.,  company  repre- 
sented by,  104 

Sloan,  polo  club  organized  at,  203 

Smalley,  J.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Smith,  George,  reference  to,  262 


334 


INDEX 


Smyth,  Chaa.  G.,  membership  of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  284 
Smyth,    James    H.,    reference    to, 

263 
Smyth,  E.,  return  of,  to  England, 

246 
Smyth,  W.  S.,  reference  to,  263 
Soap    factory,   operation   of,   175, 

176 
Social  life,  account  of,  in  English 

colony,  221-236 
Society,  lack  of,  91;  provision  for, 

149 
* '  Soiree    Dansante ' ',     description 

of,  227 
"Soldier   Farm",   statement   con- 
cerning, 66,  67 
Soldier  Township  (Crawford  Coun- 
ty), report  of  farm  in,  66,   67 
Song,  colony,  words  of,  249-251 
Soudan,  230,  235 
South  America,  hardships  endured 

in,  8 
South  Carolina,  immigrants  from, 

17 
South  Dakota,  land  improved   in, 

98;      fertility     of,     107,     108; 

origin  of  names  in,  252 
Southport      (England),     pamphlet 

prepared   at,    38,   39 
Southworth,  H.  B.,  return  of,  to 

England,  247 
Sowerby,    C,    membership    of,    in 

Prairie  Club,  284 
"Speculation",   rider  thrown  by, 

198 
Speculators,    lands    held    by,    73, 

74;   sale  of  lands  by,  74 
Spencer,   mission    church   at,    243, 

244 
Spirit  Lake,  plan  for  tournament 


at,  202;  boat  races  at,  202; 
mission  church  at,  243,  244 

Spirit  Xiake  and  Western  Bail- 
road,  plan  for  construction  of, 
108 

Sports,  kinds  of,  in  Iowa,  187- 
209 

"Sportsman",   race  with,   200 

Stafford,  Lord,  visit  of,  to  Iowa, 
103,   104 

Stallion,  description  of,  138 

Stanhope,  R.,  arrival  of,  in  Iowa, 
161 ;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 
Club,  284 

Stanier,  Guy,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Stanton,  Louise,  purchase  of  land 
from,  71 

Starky,  B,  B.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Statter,  Fred,  burial  place  of,  248 

Statter,  G.  F.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Statter,  W.  H.,  Iowa  recommended 
by,  92;  reference  to,  262 

Steamship  agent,  service  of  W. 
Gladstone  as,  175 

Steamships,  rates  on,   78 

Steerage,   cost  of  travel  by,   78 

Stephens,  Nassau  Somerville,  army 
record  of,  240;  church  services 
conducted  by,  240,  241 

Stevens,  W.  H.  P.,  part  of,  in 
football  game,  207;  place  of,  in 
Prairie  Minstrels,  223;  member- 
ship of,  in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Stewards,  employment  of,  128,  174 

Stickney,  Mr.,  railroad  financed 
by,  277 

Stirling  (Scotland),  literature  dis- 
tributed in,  36 


INDEX 


335 


Stock,  provision  for,  65 

Stock  farms,  pupils  on,  85,  86 

Stock    raising,    interest    of    Close 

brothers  in,   60;    Iowa   suitable 

for,    61,    62,    76,    92,    93;    best 

locations  for,  76;  capital  needed 

for,   79,   80,   86;    difficulties   of, 

91;  advantages  of,  129;  profits 

of,  132,  245;  emphasis  on,  137, 

138 
Stockwell,  138 
Stoner,  W.  G.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  284 
Stoughton,  H.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  284 
Strait,  Colonel,  coal  discovered  by, 

180,  181,  182 
Stubbs,  Mr.,  ser\uces  of,  on  cricket 

team,  191 
Stubbs,  J.  W.  H.,  membership  of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  284 
Stubbs,  W.,  share  of,  in  organiza- 
tion of  the  Prairie  Club,  222 
Sturgess,  Captain,  visit  of,  229 
Sturgess,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  football 

game,  207 
Sturgess,   A,    H.,   membership    of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  284 
Sturgess,  E.,  part  of,  in  "tug  of 

war",  208 
Sturgess,  Edw.  D.,  membership  of, 

in   Prairie  Club,  284 
Sugden,  A.  F.,  sheep  lost  by,  134; 

mention  of,  148 
Sugden,  Mrs.  A.  F.,  return  of,  to 

England,   247 
Sugden,  Florence  Emily,  marriage 

of,  to  H.  L.  P.  Chiene,  233 
Sugden,  Henry  Frank,  advantages 

of    Iowa    pointed    out    by,    92; 

office  of,  183;  rumor  of  title  of. 


236;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 

Club,  284 
Sugden,  Mrs,  Henry  F.,  denial  by, 

236 
"Sunbeam",   prize   won   by,    198 
Supreme  Court  of  Iowa,  decision 

of,    on   prohibitory   amendment, 

214 
Sussex    (England),  colonist  from, 

234 
Sutherland,   Duke  of,  visit  of,  in 

Iowa,      103,     104,     229;      land 

bought  by,  104,  107,  268;  town 

named  for,  265,  290 
Sutherland,    origin    of    name    of, 

252,  265 
Sutton,    A.    F,,    services    of,    on 

cricket  team,  191 
Sutton,  A.  T.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  284 
Swan,  C.  M.,  presence  of,  at  dance, 

227 
Swansea  (England),  literature  dis- 
tributed in,  36 
Swedes,  number  of,  in  Iowa,   17, 

52 
Swinburne,  W.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  284 
Swinton,  J.  C.  B.,  membership  of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  284 
Sykes,   Mr.,  land   owned  by,   175, 

268 ;  visit  of,  to  Iowa,  229,  259, 

260 
Sykes  and  Hughes,  amount  of  land 

owned  by,  116 

Tabaed  Inn,  159 

Tally-ho  riding,  popularity  of,  188 
Tama  County,   Canadians  in,   46; 

Scotch  in,  48 
Tarleton,  H.,  part  of,  in  football 


336 


INDEX 


game,   207;    membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  284 
Tartars,  migration  of,  7 
Tattersall,  Edmund,  races  won  by, 

138 
Taxes,  amount  of,  67,  89,  97,  107; 

reduction  of,  for  tree  planting, 

125,  126 
"Tax-Payers,   Our   British",   edi- 
torial on,  107 
Taylor,  Ernest,  death  of,  in  Iowa, 

234 
Taylor,  H.  L.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  284 
Taylor,     L.,     membership    of,     in 

Prairie  Club,  284 
Taylor,  T.  C.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  284 
Taylor  County,  land  purchased  in, 

100 
Taylour,    E.    E.,    membership    of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  284 
Tea,  sale  of,  at  Le  Mars,  175 
Tenants,     agreement      of     Close 

brothers   with,    64,   65,   66,    67, 

76,     124,     126,    265;    breaking 

done  by,  124;  number  of,  126, 

127;   nationality  of,   127;    kind 

of,  267,  268 
Tennant,  Robert,  land  owned  by, 

268 
Tennessee,  immign"ants   from,   17; 

story  of  English  community  in, 

157-160 
Tennis,  playing  of,  202,  208 
Tete  des  Morts  (Canada),  visitors 

from,  229 
Texas,    mention    of,    39;    pioneer 

conditions   in,   88;    purchase  of 

land  in,  by  Close  brothers,  118; 

trip  to,  235;  land  owned  in,  by 


aliens,  268;  value  of  live  stock 
in,  269 

Thales,  mention  of,  182,  183 

Thames  Eiver,  rowing  contest  on, 
57 

Thelwell,  E.  L.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Thompson,  Sir  Basil,  coming  of, 
to  Iowa,  143 

Thompson,  H.  W.,  reference  to, 
262 

Thomson,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  foot- 
ball game,  205,  206,  207 

Thomson,  B.  H.,  place  of,  in 
Prairie  Minstrels,  223;  member- 
ship of,  in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Thomson,  W.,  law  practice  of,  176 

Thoroughbreds,  importation  of, 
138 

"Thunderer,  The",  visit  of,  to 
Iowa,   167 

Thursby,  E.  H.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Tibbitt,  J.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Tiffney,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  cricket 
match,  209 

Times,  The  (London),  letters  con- 
cerning Iowa  in,  75 

Titles,  163,  236 

Tobacco,  effect  of,  on  soil,  60 

Todrich,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  paper 
chase,  188 

Tom  Broivn's  Schooldays,  author 
of,  157 

Tottenham,  E.  H.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Touch,  J.  W.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Towns,  establishment  of,  29,  30, 
100,  101 


INDEX 


337 


Townshend,  S.  Nugent,  farm  pupU 

system    described    by,    144-147; 

trip  in  charge  of,  232 
Track  meet,  holding  of,  201 
Traer,  Scotch  in,  48 
Trail     County     (North     Dakota), 

land  bought  in,  259 
Trains,  chartering  of  special,  196, 

226,  227 
Transportation,    charges    for,    70, 

71;  lack  of,  178 
Travel,    amount    of,    by    English, 

228-232 
Trees,  planting  of,  125,  126 
Trego     County     (Kansas),     Close 

brothers  in,  117,  118 
Trinity    College,    men     from,    in 

centennial      regatta,      57,      58; 

clergyman  from,  237;  fellow  of, 

239 
Troscoed,  location  of,  137 
Trotter,    H.    G.,    membership    of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  284 
Troy    Township     (Iowa    County), 

Welsh  in,   45 
"True",  prize  won  by,  197 
"Tug  of  war",  holding  of,  208 
Tullichewan  Castle,  136 
Turks,   migration  of,   7 
Turner,    Jonathan,     daughter    of, 

258 
Tutor,  advertisement  for,  176 
Twain,  Mark,  mention  of,  171 
Tweedale,  Marquis  of,  mention  of, 

268 
Twidale,  J.,  medical  practice  of, 

176 
Typhoid    fever,    epidemic    of,    at 

Rugby  colony,  158 

Union  County,  Irish  in,  43 


Union  Township  (Johnson  Coun- 
ty), Welsh  in,  45 

Union  Township  (Plymouth  Coun- 
ty), land  purchased  in,  99 

United  Mine  Workers  of  America, 
president  of,  45 

United  States,  immigration  author- 
ized by,  10;  prejudices  against, 
19;  immigration  to,  23,  26,  31, 
38;  trip  of  Close  brothers 
through,  59,  60;  land  titles  in, 
83;  amount  of  land  owned  by 
aliens  in,   116,   117 

United  team,  game  with,  205,  206, 
207 

Utica  (New  York),  paper  pub- 
lished at,  45 

Van  der  Zee,  Jacob,  visit  of,  to 
Le  Mars,  277,  278 

Van  Sommer,  J.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Veal,  Frederick  Kingsbury,  lum- 
ber yard  of,  177;  part  of,  in 
"tug  of  war",  208;  marriage 
of,  233;  residence  of,  247; 
membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 
284 

Vernon,  W.  G.  Harcourt,  position 
of,  in  bank,  176;  part  of,  in 
cricket  game,  193;  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Victoria,  Queen,  celebration  in 
honor  of,  207,  208,  209,  220, 
241,  280;  toast  to,  231;  prayers 
for,  238 

Viola  Township  (Osceola  County), 
houses  in,   123 

Virgin  land,  plan  of  Close  broth- 
ers for  farming  of,   63-67 

Virginia,    Frederick   B-    Close    in, 


338 


INDEX 


57,   58,    60,    62;    price   of    land 
in,   60,   61;   people  of,   61 
Voltiguer-Qarland,  138 

Wadbilove,  Mr.,  wagers  won  by, 
200 

Waddilove,  A.  C,  part  of,  in  foot- 
ball game,  205,  206,  207 

Waddilove,  J.  C,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Wade,  Armigel  W.,  reference  to, 
263 

Wake,  T.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Wakefield,  Jack  W.,  stock  farm 
of,  137;  interest  of,  in  cricket, 
190,  193;  horse  ridden  by,  199, 
200;  attempt  of,  to  horse  whip 
editor,  211;  incident  concerning, 
213,  239,  286;  mention  of,  228; 
presence  of,  at  picnic,  228; 
visit  of,  to  England,  228;  death 
of,  248;  reference  to,  262;  col- 
lege of,  274;  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Wakefield,  John,  (see  Wsikefield, 
Jack  W.) 

Wales,  literature  distributed  in, 
34 

Wales  (Montgomery  County), 
Welsh  in,  45 

Walker,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  paper 
chase,  188;  presence  of,  at  pic- 
nic, 228 

Walker,  R.,  interest  of,  in  cricket, 
190,  191 ;  part  of,  in  tennis 
tournament,  208 

Walker,  Richard,  place  of,  in 
Prairie  Minstrels,  224;  member- 
ship of,  in  Prairie  Club,  284 


Walker,  Robert,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Walkinshaw,  J.  M.  C,  race  won 
by,  202;  part  of,  in  football 
game,  205,  206,  207;  place  of, 
in  Prairie  Minstrels,  223;  mem- 
bership of,  in  Prairie  Club,  284 

WaUer,  H.  N.,  buck  killed  by, 
189;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 
Club,  284 

Walter,  Mr.,  address  by,  167; 
article  by,  171,  172 

Walters,  John,  presence  of,  at 
wedding,  233,  234 

Wann,  W.  Hyndman,  reference  to, 
262;  membership  of,  in  Prairie 
Club,  284 

Wapello  County,  Irish  in,  43; 
Welsh  in,  44,  45;  English  in, 
50;  British  in,  257 

"War  between  the  Races",  edi- 
torial on,  211,  212 

Ward,  George  E.,  cattle  raised 
by,  137;   residence  of,  247 

Warner,  George,  contract  with, 
122 

Warren,  Mr.,  presence  of,  at  pic- 
nic, 228 

Warren,  D.,  part  of,  in  "tug  of 
war",   208 

Warren,  James  Brough,  farm  of, 
136;  meat  market  of,  175; 
marriage  of,  233;  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Water,  lack  of,  180 

Watkins,  S.  R.,  acknowledgment 
to,  11 

Watson,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  polo 
match,  208;  presence  of,  at 
picnic,   228 


INDEX 


339 


Watson,  H.  A.,  services  of,  on 
cricket  team,  191;  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  222,  284; 
western  trip  of,   232 

Watson,  Hugh,  death  of,  234 

Watson,  J.  G.,  services  of,  on 
cricket  team,  191;  part  of,  in 
polo  match,  203,  204;  member- 
ship of,  in  Prairie  Club,  222, 
284;  burial  place  of,  248 

Weare,  Miss,  presence  of,  at 
dance,  227 

Webster,  D.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,   284 

Webster  County,  Irish  in,  43; 
Scotch   in,   48 

Weddings,  account  of,  232-234 

Weir,  A.  Y.,  part  of,  in  "tug  of 
war",  208;  residence  of,  247; 
membership  of,  in  Prairie  Club, 
284 

Wells,  cost  of,  66;  dragging  of, 
123 

Welsh,  number  of,  in  Iowa,  44, 
45,  51,  52,  289 

Welton,  establishment  of,  29;  fail- 
ure of,  29,  30 

Westfield,  Mr.,  part  of,  in  cricket 
match,  209 

West  Fork,  cricket  team,  of,  191; 
church  services  at,  239  (see  also 
Quorn) 

West  Fork  plate,  calling  of,  197; 
winner   of,    208 

Westbourne  Farm,  137 

Western  Town  Lot  Company, 
towns  platted  by,  290,  291 

Whalley,  Captain,  land  owned  by, 
268 

"VATiat  Cheer,  Scotch  at,  48;  name 
of,  48;  English  at,  49 


Wheat,  production  of,  39,  67; 
best  location  for  growing  of, 
60,  76;  blight  on,  65,  91;  use 
of  new  land  for,  66;  price  of, 
67;  waste  of,  70;  transportation 
charges  on,  70,  71 ;  profits  on, 
76;   advantages  of  raising,   129 

White,  Charles  A.,  geological  sur- 
vey made  by,  182 

White  Pass  and  Yukon  Railway, 
building  of,   118,  119 

White  Star  Line,  transportation 
on,  143 

Whitney,  Miss,  marriage  of  Al- 
meric  Paget  to,  143 

Whitney,  Harry  Payne,  sister  of, 
249 

"Wide  Awake  Hose  Company, 
The",  member  of,  219 

Wild,  J.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,   284 

Wilde,  Mr.,  presence  of,  at  picnic, 
228 

Wilde,  Oscar,  lecture  by,  231 

Williamsburg,   Welsh  at,  45 

Williamson,  E.  P.,  membership  of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Wilson,  G.,  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,   284 

Wilson  Township  (Osceola  Coun- 
ty), houses  in,  123 

"Windsor  Palace",  naming  of, 
210 

"Wine",  explanation  of,  287 

Winneshiek  County,  Irish  in,  43; 
Canadians  in,  46 

Winstanley,  E.,  part  of,  in  tennis 
tournament,  208 ;  membership 
of,  in  Prairie  Club,  284 

Winter,  severity  of,  151 

Wisconsin,  description  of,  19;  im- 


340 


INDEX 


migration  encouraged  by,  33; 
tenants  from,  106;  advertising 
matter  distributed  in,  114;  hunt- 
ing in,   189 

Wise,  Alexander  A,,  work  of,  on 
commission,  34,  37 

Women 's  Emigration  Society, 
founding  of,  261,  262 

Wood,  Mr.,  farm  of,  181 

Wood,  supply  of,  in  northwestern 
Iowa,  89 

Woodard,  C.  P.,  coal  discovered 
by,  184 

Woodbury  County,  Irish  in,  43; 
Canadians  in,  46;  Scotch  in, 
48,  257;  English  in,  50;  pur- 
chase of  land  in,  by  Close 
brothers,  68,  71,  99,  100;  rail- 
road, in,  72 ;  description  of,  88 ; 
value  of  land  in,  101,  264; 
taxes  in,  107;  land  business  in, 
113,  114;  houses  in,  122;  plant- 
ing of  trees  in,  125;  loss  of 
sheep  in,  134;  British  in,  257, 
289;  population  of,  260;  rank 
of,  as  farming  community,  269 

Woodbury  County  fair,  races  at, 
201 

Woods  Brothers,  mention  of,  177 

Wool,  market  for,  134 

Work,  necessity  for,  25,  26 

Workingmen  's  Emigrant  Associa- 
tion of  London,  letter  to,  34 

World's  Exposition  (Philadel- 
phia),  awards   made   at,    39 

World's  Exposition  (St.  Louis), 
awards  made  at,  39 


World's  Industrial  and  Cotton 
Centennial  Exposition  (New 
Orleans),  Iowa  display  at,  40 

Worth  County,  land  purchased  in, 
100 

Worthington  (Minnesota),  office 
at,    108 

Wraight,  P.,  part  of,  in  football 
game,  207;  membership  of,  in 
Prairie  Club,  284 

Wright,  Edward  T.,  advantages  of 
Iowa  pointed  out  by,  92 ;  ref- 
erence to,  262 

Wright,  George  H.,  trees  planted 
by,  125 

T  Drych,  publication  of,  45 
Yankees,  antagonism  of,  to  young 
Englishmen,  213,  214    (see  also 
Americans) 
Yankton     (South    Dakota),     polo 
club    organized    at,    203;    death 
of  Charles  Dacres  at,  281 
Yonge,  F.  A.,  membership  of,  in 

Prairie  Club,  284 
York,  Archbishop  of,  son  of,  176 
Young,  Mr.,  farm  of,  181 
Young,  David  A.,  membership  of, 

in  Prairie  Club,  284 
Young,   W.  B.,  marriage  of,   233 
Young,    William,     return    of,     to 
Scotland,    246;    membership   of, 
in  Prairie  Club,  284 
Young    Men's    Christian    Associa- 
tion, organization  of,  242 

"Zob",  prise  won  by,  197 


L^^^^ 


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A    000  669  458     2 


